Never forget
by raven.lakrah
Summary: Natalia Rivera is a social worker from Chicago. When Philipp Spaulding dies his daughter Emma is taken to an orphanage. Will Natalia find the girl's mother and succeed in getting her to take responsibility of the child she had left years ago?
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

I want to dedicate this story to some great friends.

* * *

First of all to my **Freak**, who made me write again some years ago.

She was the reason I started writing fanfiction in the first place and she has always believed and supported me ever since.

As a reader, but more important than that as a true friend.

And she became a person, who I respect and trust.

* * *

To **Camilla**, my little vampy, simply 'cause she is awesome and such a loyal person.

* * *

To **OtaliaNutt** 'cause she supported me since the very first hour and always been a great friend.

* * *

And to **Lucy Nico** for being such a nice and warm person.

* * *

The first fanfiction I ever wrote was for the soap opera "Guiding light".

For the Otalia storyline to be exact.

It has been so special to me 'cause the story of Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera had been so touching, so magical.

It had been so pure and filled with love.

Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia have done such an outstanding job with their performances, with bringing their characters and that love to live.

The show might have been cancelled a while ago, but that doesn't mean it has lost its importance.

I've gotten to know a bunch of amazing people in the Otalia/Crystal Chappell/Jessica Leccia – Community and I don't want to miss a single one of them.

Because this people support each other, are there for each other at any time.

Thanks for sticking with me, for believing and supporting me, for giving me a chance to develop as a writer and as a person.

It means the world to me.

And I love you all from the bottom of my heart!

This is my way of saying 'Thank you'.

And "Never forget" is my try to bring the "magic" back…

I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Much love,

Raven

* * *

Disclaimer: Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera and other characters from the town of Springfield belong to TeleNext Media, CBS and God knows to whom else. I'm borrowing them for a little, but I'll give them back one day. Maybe.

* * *

**NEVER FORGET**

_By Raven_

**Prolog**

Natalia Rivera closed the case file and sighed heavily.

She loved her job as a social worker although it was frustrating and exhausting at times.

Especially on days like this.

In a few minutes she would pick up an eight-year-old girl, who's father had died in a car crash last night.

And since there were no living relatives, who would be able to look after the girl, Natalia was supposed to bring her to the local orphanage.

It made Natalia sad that there wasn't more she could do for that poor girl, but she hadn't been able to find a foster family that quick.

She looked at the framed picture of her son Rafael, which was standing on her work desk and she became even more sentimental.

Her parents had thrown her out when she had told them that she was pregnant by the age of sixteen.

It hadn't be planned and her boyfriend Gus had run for the hills the second she had told him that she was having a baby, which had left her all by herself.

Natalia had received unexpected help from Father George, a decent priest, who had supported her all the way.

And although she never had a lot of money and she had three jobs at times to pay the bills Natalia had managed to raise her child on her own.

Now Rafe was almost a grown up, but for Natalia he would always be her baby, her son, whom she loved more than anything in this world.

To imagine that some children had to spend years in an orphanage made her feel help- and useless.

That clearly were some of the shady sides of her job.

She had been able to help a lot of families over the last years, but at times there was nothing she could do.

Like on this case.

If there weren't any relatives, she couldn't pull them out of her hat.

She wasn't a magician, but Natalia wished she'd be one at times.

At times like now.

But she was a social worker and she had a job to do.

At least this little girl would have a home at all if you could call an orphanage a home, which Natalia honestly doubted.

Unfortunately there was no other opportunity, at least not for this little girl.

Natalia knew that she had no other choice, but that didn't mean that she liked the only solution available.

She sighed once more, took a deep breath and grabbed her coat although it was just a five minute walk to the hospital 'cause it was raining since the morning.

It had been her boyfriend, police officer Frank Cooper, who had called her for help and she was glad that he would drive her and the little girl to the orphanage.

Wouldn't make things any easier, but at least she wasn't alone.

And so Natalia left her office to pick up a little girl, who had no home anymore.

A little girl named Emma.

Emma Spaulding.


	2. Chapter 2

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 2**

When Natalia finally arrived at home that evening she felt the urge to cry.

The little girl she had brought to the orphanage that day had been so sad, it had broken her heart.

When she had met Frank, who had been to the hospital with Emma to have her checked up 'cause one of his colleagues had suspected that the little girl had a shock after hearing that her father had died, Emma had been sitting there, staring at the wall, holding an old teddy bear in her arms, which had been stitched several times.

How must that child have felt?

First a police man she didn't know, a complete stranger, had told her that her dad wouldn't come back and then they had took her to a hospital, from where she was taken to an orphanage, where she was supposed to stay in a bedroom with seven other kids.

Where she had nothing private anymore.

There would be no father, who would play with her, or read bedtime stories to her.

She had to do something for Emma and although she didn't know what yet, Natalia would find a solution.

Simply 'cause kids deserved a real home and people, who cared for them.

People, who would take the role of a responsible parent, not 'cause it was their job, but 'cause they wanted to.

Frank showed up at Natalia's place about two hours later to make sure she was okay 'cause he had noticed that this case had taken a toll on his girlfriend.

And while he also felt sorry for the little girl, his job was done by taking her to the orphanage.

Sure, it was sad, but life wasn't always fair.

But when he had stepped into the apartment, Natalia had been sitting at the kitchen table, studying Emma's file again.

He had expected that dinner would be ready 'cause he was starving, but the latina obviously hadn't even started to cook yet.

"_I'm sorry, Frank. You'll have to order dinner tonight, I'll be busy for a while_", Natalia announced, but didn't even look up.

"_That's okay, honey. What are you doing?" _

"_I'm trying to help Emma. I mean she is Philipp Spaulding's daughter. I know he was the last living Spaulding and he practically lost all his money over the last few years, but she deserves better than that orphanage", _she answered, still not looking up.

"_Every child deserves better than that, Natalia. But that doesn't mean that there always is another option", _Frank countered.

Why couldn't Natalia accept that?

What was so special about this little girl? What made her any different from all the other children, who spent their lives in the orphanage?

"_Have you seen her eyes? She's been so sad and lost", _the latina tried to make him understand.

"_Her father just died. What do you expect?"_

This was getting ridiculous and Frank didn't want to discuss this any further. He had been at work all day and now he wanted some peace and silence.

And dinner.

"_Nevermind", _Natalia mumbled, slightly annoyed, _"Maybe you better go and stay at your place tonight. This will take a while."_

"_Fine."_

Frank's answer was more like a growl, but what was he supposed to do?

Argue on that?

No way.

He would leave Natalia alone, would give her some space and everything would be back to normal tomorrow.

Sounded like a plan.

So he kissed her on the forehead and left.

* * *

Natalia smiled.

She had found the solution.

Maybe.

At least there was a chance.

The notes in the file hadn't been easy to read.

Who's hand writing was that?

She had thought that Emma's mother had to be dead as well, but after a while she had figured out, that she wasn't.

The girl's mother had left the family when Emma had been about 4-years old.

What kind of a mother would do that?

She couldn't understand that 'cause she would never have been able to leave Rafe, no matter what it might have cost her.

And then she had stumbled over the name of Emma's mother and she had been so relieved.

That woman had to take care of her own child, she simply had to.

But right the next moment she had recognized the side mark – current address: unknown.

When Natalia showed up at the police station the next morning Frank Cooper smiled triumphantly, but the second his girlfriend started to talk he realized that her visit had nothing to do with him, _"Frank, I need you to help me find somebody. I need you to help me find Olivia Spencer."_


	3. Chapter 3

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 3**

_"What? Why? Natalia, why can't you stop trying to save that child? She's a hopeless case and you know it"_, Frank looked at her in disbelief, seemed to be very upset, _"We're living in Chicago, not in some little village, where everything is sunshine and roses and people are helping each other out all the time…"_

_"Frank! Her mother is still alive. Don't you get it? There is hope"_, Natalia answered, sounding very serious and slightly annoyed.

Why couldn't he see that there might be a happy ending for this girl if they tried hard enough.

The raven haired woman sure got his point – Frank was a police officer, not a social worker. His job didn't have a happy ending most of the time, he was confronted with the dark sides of human nature practically every day.

But that didn't mean that she would give up on Emma, in fact she would proof Frank Cooper wrong.

There had to be a way…

_"Her mother made a decision years ago, Natalia. She decided to be no longer a part of her daughter's life"_, he started to get angry.

Couldn't the latina see that she was fighting a battle, which was already lost?

_"You don't know that! Maybe…"_

_"Maybe what, Natalia? She left her 4 year old child! Without leaving a contact address or anything. If she would have any interest in seeing her daughter, she would never have broken off contact!"_

Frank was close to losing his temper, close to start yelling right there at the police station.

_"I'm going to ask her about that. But first I have to find her",_ Natalia insisted, _"So, are you in or do I have to ask one of your colleagues for help?"_

Frank stood there, trying to keep himself under control, watching his girlfriend closely.

Natalia seemed to be serious about this.

And what if she was right? If there could be a happy ending for Emma?

_"Fine"_, he gave in after a while, _"What was the name again? Spencer?"_

The raven haired woman gave him a thankful smile, showed the dimples he adored so much, _"Thank you. And yes, her name is Spencer. Olivia Spencer."_

After telling her boyfriend the date of Olivia's birth, the police officer typed everything into a computer program and hit enter.

Natalia stood there, impatiently waiting for a result that would lead them to said Olivia Spencer, praying that she would be able to help Emma.

_"I got something"_, Frank announced after a while,_ "Here. Olivia Spencer, now Olivia Wolfe, owner of a hotel called 'The Beacon' in Springfield."_

The latina wrote everything down into her little note book and headed for the door.

_"What are you up to now?"_ Frank asked before she could have left, although he was sure that he already knew the answer.

_"I'm taking a day or two off work and fly to Springfield. I'll call you when I'm there. Thanks, Frank. You don't know how much your help means to me"._

And with that the beautiful latina was gone.

* * *

She had been lucky and had been able to get on a flight just a few hours later and Natalia was feeling very enthusiastic.

Maybe she would be able to get Emma out of the orphanage soon.

But as soon as she arrived at _'The Beacon'_ and asked for Olivia Wolfe, the latina realized that it probably wouldn't be that easy at all.

The receptionist, who had introduced himself as Greg, had dropped his jaw when she had asked for an appointment with his boss,_ "Are you sure that you really want to talk to her? She's in a very bad mood today. I was afraid she would start spitting fire any second the last time I talked to her, I swear."_

"I need to talk to her anyway, it is very important", Natalia reassured him.

And so the receptionist had called Blake, Olivia's personal assistant, to the front desk, but she had told Natalia that there would be no way to have a conversation with the_ "dragon lady"_ today, at least not officially.

When Natalia made her point, that this was highly important and couldn't wait, clear to Blake and Greg, they had told her where to find Olivia's office, but they had also explained to her that the hotel owner would make her life a living hell if she would dare to interrupt her.

And yet Natalia was standing in front of the massive door and knocked.

_"What now?"_ somebody barked out and the latina jumped, but opened the door none-the-less.

_"Mrs. Wolfe? My name is Natalia Rivera. I came all the way from Chicago to talk to you. It's really important."_

And with that said she entered the office, where a woman was sitting behind a huge wooden desk, looking at her like a snake that was waiting to catch a mouse.

_"I have no time for chatting, Ms….what was your name again?"_

Another bark.

_"Rivera. Natalia Rivera. And I'm not here for chatting either"_, the latina answered quickly.

_"Well, what do you want then?"_

That hadn't sounded any friendlier.

_"I need to talk to you about your daughter"_, Natalia announced without hesitation and the face of the woman, who had been staring at her all along, froze.


	4. Chapter 4

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 4**

"_What?!"_

The hotelier started to bark again.

"_Emma Spaulding is your daughter, isn't she?"_

Natalia tried to stay calm and focused. It wouldn't help any if she would work herself up now too.

"_She is, but you have nothing to do with her."_

"_In fact, I do,"_ now the latina's eyes met Olivia Wolfe's.

"_Why? Is Philipp marrying again? Then congratulations. And don't worry, I have no intentions of barking you away. She's all yours",_ the older woman announced with a gesture of her hand.

"_It's not like that, Mrs. Wolfe. I'm a social worker."_

"_A social worker? What's that supposed to mean?"_

The hotelier's face darkened.

"_Philipp Spaulding died in a car accident two days ago and I had to bring Emma to the local orphanage in Chicago 'cause there are no living relatives anymore – except you,"_

Natalia Rivera explained immediately.

"_If you assume that I'll take Emma, you're wrong. Forget that you even had that idea", _Olivia Wolfe responded, her voice cold and without emotion.

"_But she's your daughter!"_

The latina was close to losing her mind. Didn't that woman see that her child needed her?

"_She was. But that was long ago. I bet she doesn't even remember me."_

The hotelier stated, unimpressed by the social worker's rant.

"_Mrs. Wolfe…"_

"_I already said 'No', didn't I? Have you an idea of who I am? I'm married to the mayor of Springfield. And we are in the middle of the election campaign. My wife can't use a scandal right now and I have no time for a kid!"_

Olivia almost stared her into the ground.

"_Your wife?"_

Now Natalia was completely off track.

"_Oh God, please don't tell me you are one of these narrow-minded, religious freaks, who think gay people should be burned at a stake,"_ the hotelier growled.

"_No! No…I'm sorry, Mrs. Wolfe. Don't get me wrong. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm a religious person, but in my opinion love is love. I was just surprised…you didn't look like…"_

The latina didn't know what to say.

"_A lesbian?"_

Olivia looked at her in a challenging way.

"_Yeah, well…something like that. But never mind…we just need to find a solution for Emma",_ the social worker started again.

"_We? We don't have to do anything",_ Olivia moved her index finger between the two of them back and forth.

"_She lost her father and she lives at the orphanage now. With seven other kids in one room. All Emma has is an old, stitched teddy bear",_ Natalia wanted to make the hotelier understand how urgent it was to get her daughter out of there.

For a moment Olivia hesitated, a hint of sadness flickered in her beautiful, green eyes, but then she pulled herself back together and got all tough again, _"I'm sorry, Miss Rivera, but I can't help you. When I left Chicago back then I left everything behind. Even Emma. I came here and started a whole new life. Doris doesn't know that I have a child and we can't use a scandal right now. As I said…the election…I'm sure it is hard for you to understand, but I can't be a mother. I'm a business woman and a child doesn't fit in. _

_I'm sure you mean well, but there is nothing I can do for you. Or Emma."_

"_Don't you care about your daughter? Don't you care about her at all? She is eight-years-old and has nobody left, but you!"_

The latina's voice had become louder and very serious.

"_And yet even social worker is more concerned about her well-being than I am."_

The hotelier's reply didn't miss its target.

Natalia knew that any further discussion would be pointless, but she couldn't stop herself anyway, _"How can you be so heartless? How? I'm a mother too, but I would never have been able to leave my son."_

"_You don't know anything about me, Miss Rivera. And I think it's time for you to leave…"_


	5. Chapter 5

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 5**

Natalia couldn't believe it.

Once she was sitting in her hotel room she wanted to scream.

This cold-hearted woman had insisted that she stayed at _'The Beacon'_ for the night and when Natalia had explained to Olivia that she would never be able to afford that the hotelier had said she didn't have to pay since she had came all the way from Chicago 'cause of Emma.

So, on the one hand Olivia Wolfe didn't give a thing about that little girl, who actually was her daughter, and on the other hand she let her stay here for free?

What should she think of that?

She had wanted to call Frank, but then she would have needed to admit that he was right about Olivia Wolfe and the latina wasn't ready for that yet.

Why she still tried to think positive was beyond her 'cause the hotelier had her point more than just clear – she wouldn't take Emma, no matter what.

But she wouldn't give up yet 'cause there had been a moment, when Olivia had frozen for a second. And that second was worth a fight.

Maybe she had just rushed things and the hotel owner would think about it for a while and come around.

At least that was what Natalia was hoping and praying for.

Her thoughts drifted off to Emma once again.

How sad the little girl had looked at her when she had to leave her there at the orphanage.

She had seen Emma standing at the window, staring out, when she and Frank had driven away and Natalia had wanted to go right back and take her with her.

But unfortunately she wouldn't be able to do that.

For once she wasn't married, the payment in her job wasn't that good either plus the long working hours would make it impossible.

How should she make Olivia understand that she had no other choice than doing her job.

And the most important job in a mother's life was to be a good mom, wasn't it?

Sure, she was aware of the fact that things wouldn't be so easy for Emma once she had two mommies instead of one, but a child could deal with that these days, right?

Well, a child for sure would be able to 'cause it loved its parents no matter what…like parents were supposed to love their kids no matter what.

But Natalia knew herself that it didn't work out like that all the time.

And kids at school were cruel.

Maybe they would make life a living hell for Emma, once they found out about her having two mommies now.

Or what if Doris Wolfe didn't like her and would terrorize her.

It was never easy with the stepfathers or stepmothers, Natalia could tell from a lot of experience in her job.

Was it really a smart idea to "force" Olivia into taking care of her daughter?

What if Emma would feel unwanted all the time?

That could break a child's soul.

Natalia didn't know what to do and so she decided to get some rest.

She would find a solution in the end.

A good one.

She simply had to.

For Emma.

* * *

When she was sitting at the breakfast table the next morning, completely lost in thought, Olivia showed up all of a sudden, handing her an envelope.

"_What's that?"_

Natalia looked at her in confusion.

"_That's five thousand dollars. In case Emma needs…stuff. Money is all I have to give",_ the hotelier answered and turned to leave.

"_Wait! I can't accept that. I'm not even allowed to take that although I know Emma would need it…but",_ the latina knew it was her last chance to talk some sense into Olivia Wolfe.

"_You were never here, Natalia. And we never talked. So you can take this money and leave Springfield. And never come back. Do with this money whatever you want, but if you dare to tell somebody I have a daughter…"_

Olivia's face darkened and her eyes got colder and colder.

"_Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. I won't cause any trouble",_ Natalia interrupted her.

"_I'm glad we agree on that",_ the hotelier answered in triumph.

"_I don't do this for you, I do it for Emma."_

"_I don't care for whom you do it…as long as you do, Miss Rivera."_

Natalia got up and stood right in front of the hotelier, who was wearing a dark grey suit and a white blouse, now, looked Olivia Wolfe straight in the eye, _"I'll take that money. Not that I like it, but I'll need it. To do what you should be doing. I'll get Emma out of that orphanage. And I'm beginning to realize that it was a big mistake that I asked you to take responsibility for your child 'cause Emma clearly is better off without you…and now excuse me, Misses Wolfe. I have a plane to catch."_

That said the latina headed out of the breakfast room, leaving an upset Olivia Wolfe behind.


	6. Chapter 6

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 6**

Back in Chicago Natalia drove straight to the orphanage and visited Emma.

While the other kids were outside, playing softball in the yard, the little girl was sitting on her bed in the sleeping room, holding her teddy bear in hands, staring at the wall.

It broke the latina's heart once more to see Emma like that.

"_Hey Sweetie! I just came to see how you are doing?"_

Natalia sat down right next to her, but the little girl didn't even look up.

"_Can I look at your bear for a second?"_ she tried to get Emma's attention again and after a while the sad looking girl nodded and handed it over to Natalia carefully as if it was made out of glass.

"_It's old, huh? But it's beautiful none-the-less. Has it a name? Did your daddy get it for you?"_

the latina knew she had to get Emma into talking to her, otherwise she wouldn't be able to help her.

"_Its name is Olivia",_ the little girl announced all of a sudden and Natalia almost choked.

Olivia? Like in Olivia Spencer or now Wolfe?

"_My mommy gave it to me before she left. She said if I ever get sad I should cuddle up with it and I would feel less alone",_ Emma added after a while, seeming to be even more sad.

"_Does it help?"_ Natalia wanted to know.

Another nod from the little one, _"You know…I miss my mommy. I don't remember her much 'cause she left long ago, but I still remember how her voice sounds like."_

"_You do?"_

Now the latina was really surprised.

"_She always was nice to me, you know. My daddy too. They both have always been nice to me. But mommy and daddy have been fighting a lot I guess…I don't remember everything that well. But there was a lot of yelling. And then…one day she came to my room and told me that she had to leave. That she wouldn't come back, but that daddy would take good care of me. That was when she gave me the teddy bear. And then she hugged me, kissed me on my forehead and said that she would always love me, no matter what. That was the last time I saw her",_ Emma stated and a few tears were running down her face, but she didn't seem to mind.

Natalia was in a state of "shock" somehow.

'Cause what the girl had told her didn't sound like Olivia at all.

At least not like the Olivia she had talked to just a few hours earlier.

What had happened that the hotelier had become that cold?

"_I just hope she is okay 'cause she had been very sad the day she had left. Well, she had been sad for a long time actually",_ Emma added out of the blue.

"_I'm sure she is, don't worry about that", _Natalia answered, stroking over the little girl's hand and she prayed that Olivia would change her mind.

More than ever.

* * *

She had promised Emma that she would be back soon, but unfortunately her job had kept her busy for a couple of days, so Natalia hadn't managed to get back to the orphanage before the weekend.

When she entered the bedroom, in which the little girl was supposed to be, she held her breath.

Emma was sitting under her bed, crying, her teddy bear was lying on the floor with one arm ripped off.

"_Sweetie, what happened? Are you okay?"_

Natalia went over to the bed immediately and kneeled down to put up the plush bear_, "Emma? It's me, Natalia. Please get out of there and talk to me. I promise I'll help you and I'll fix your bear, okay?"_

It took a while 'til the little girl really got out under the bed and sat down right next to the latina.

That was when Natalia recognized Emma's bruised eye and she immediately felt the urge to protect the little girl from whatever whom_, "Sweetie, can you just tell me what happened?"_

"_There is this one girl in my room. Jody. She doesn't like me and she ruined my bear. And when I told her to stop she punched me", _the little girl stated, still crying.

"_I'll take care of that, okay? I'll be back in a minute"._

And with that Natalia got up and stormed out of the room.

She had heard enough.

* * *

Talking to the director of the orphanage had been easier than she had expected.

His name was Remy and he had agreed that Natalia could take Emma home over the weekend to take proper care of her 'cause they simply had not enough staff at the orphanage to do so.

And he had promised to call his friend Jeffrey, who happened to be a judge in Chicago and said friend owed him a favor.

He'd try everything so Natalia would be allowed to take Emma in foster care. At least 'til they found a better solution for the clearly traumatized girl.

She felt so relieved when she returned to Emma 'cause she was able to take her with her and although Natalia was aware of the fact that this case was becoming way too personal she couldn't stop herself.

Emma needed help and she would try everything she could to provide that help.

No matter what it might cost her.

When they arrived at Natalia's apartment the first thing the latina did was to repair teddy Olivia, which brought a smile to the little girl's face and that was definitely some sort of success.

After a while Emma snuggled up on the couch with the fresh cup of cacao Natalia had made her and started watching TV.

And Natalia sat down right beside her and couldn't put her weird thoughtsnaside any longer.

What would she tell Rafe?

And Frank?

Should she try to talk to Olivia Wolfe again?

She didn't know a thing, she wasn't sure what would be the best 'cause she hadn't thought the situation through.

All she knew was that she had to find a home for the little girl, who had touched her heart the second she had seen her for the first time.

But right that moment the apartment door flung open and Frank came in and Natalia knew all-too-well that she had to come up with a plan real quick, _"Frank. It's good that you're here. You came right in time to welcome our guest."_


	7. Chapter 7

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 7**

Frank looked at the little girl in disbelief, not quite sure if he was dreaming.

This had to be a joke, right?

"_Hello, Mister Police officer!"_ Emma announced all of a sudden and he recognized her bruised eye.

And right that moment Frank Cooper realized that Natalia must have taken the little girl with her for a reason.

"_Good evening, Emma! What happened to your eye?" _

He went over and knelt down right next to her.

"_One of the kids at the orphanage didn't like me. She destroyed my bear, but Natalia fixed it."_

Emma showed him her old teddy bear, which had even more stitches now.

"_I see",_ Frank gave the little girl a smile, _"I need to talk to Natalia for a second, okay? We'll be right back."_

Emma just nodded and turned her attention back to the TV.

* * *

Standing in the kitchen Natalia waited for Frank to explode or something like that, but nothing happened.

He just stood there and watched her for a while before he finally started a conversation, _"So, you took Emma with you. And now?"_

"_The director of the orphanage offered to help me. So Emma can stay with me. At least for a while. I'll take her in foster care",_ the latina answered with a serious tone in her voice, making absolutely clear that there was no discussion about that.

"_Fine."_

Now Natalia was surprised.

Did Frank just say _'Fine'_?

She looked at him suspiciously, not sure if the police officer had been joking.

"_Listen, Natalia. I'm sorry. I should have listened to you from the begin with. An orphanage for sure is not the perfect home for children, but it's better than having no home at all. But you are right. Emma needs a real home after all. So yeah, it's fine with me",_ Frank stated when he saw the insecure expression on his girlfriend's face, _"We'll figure something out 'cause Emma needs to go to school, but my dad loves kids as you know. Maybe he can watch her 'til you get home from work."_

"_That would be great! Frank, I don't know what to say…you just made me very happy, you know that, right?"_

Natalia hugged him tight, _"This means a lot to me. Really."_

"_It's okay, Natalia. I want you to be happy. Always."_

He kissed her on the forehead gently, then the police officer looked at her again, _"Have you told Rafe yet?"_

The latina shook her head, _"No. He's out with some friends. But I think it shouldn't be that much of a problem 'cause he always wanted to have a little brother or sister."_

"_Sounds good to me. So we're some sort of a patchwork family now",_ Frank announced with a smile.

"_Yes, that's true."_

Natalia smiled as well, her dimples showing on her cheeks.

But then she got lost in her thoughts once again, _"It's just too bad that the law is so complicated when it comes to adoption._

"_Well, you know, Natalia…we always could get married. That would make it a lot easier."_

* * *

When Rafe had come home that night he had been thrilled about the news of him getting a little sister and he had volunteered to sleep on the couch 'til they would be done with turning Natalia's home office into a room for Emma.

And when Natalia and Frank had told him that they were thinking about adopting Emma and more than that, about getting married, the latina's son was overjoyed.

'Cause after growing up without a father this was a dream coming true for Rafe.

He would get a family after all these years.

* * *

_About two weeks later _

Things were going much better than Natalia had expected.

Rafe grew with the role as the big brother every day and he and Emma had become friends.

They spent a lot of time together and the latina loved to see her son taking care of the little girl 'cause it seemed like they would have been a family forever.

And even Frank tried to be around more.

He actually had changed some of his shifts, had spent the weekends with them and they had been to the zoo and cooking together.

Emma was doing a little better every day and to see that made Natalia even happier.

But the latina hadn't missed to realize that the little girl kept talking about her parents a lot, especially about her mother Olivia, whom she was still worried about.

After all these years.

Although her mother had left from one day to the next and had never talked to her again.

And so Natalia had thought about the whole situation again and again, not sure what to do 'cause the bare thought that she would lose Emma if Olivia Wolfe would change her mind drove her crazy.

She loved that little girl as if she would be her own daughter, but on the other hand Natalia knew that Emma should have the chance to be with her mother.

It hadn't been easy for Natalia to make a decision and she hadn't been able to sleep for days, but in the end she had realized that she had no choice if she wanted the best for Emma.

And so the latina had jumped on a plane once again.

Destination: Springfield.


	8. Chapter 8

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 8**

Standing in front of Olivia Wolfe's office once again, Natalia wasn't so sure anymore if she was doing the right thing.

The hotelier had made it more than clear that she had no interest in seeing her daughter, but after all Emma had told her there had to be a part of Olivia, who loved her daughter.

There simply had to be.

And before the latina could have changed her mind, she knocked and waited for the bark that would allow her to enter the office.

But it didn't come.

So she knocked again.

Nothing.

Natalia opened the door although she knew that she shouldn't do that, just to find the office empty.

She was confused 'cause according to Greg and Blake the hotelier was supposed to be right here, but Olivia clearly wasn't.

Should she just take a seat and wait for the hotel owner come back?

No, that would be a stupid idea.

She would go to the hotel restaurant, have some coffee and she would return to Olivia's office later.

Now that sounded like a plan.

But when Natalia turned round to leave she froze.

'Cause there she was, standing right in front of her.

Olivia Wolfe, staring at her with a furious expression on her face, her green eyes sparkling out of anger, _"What the hell are you doing here?!"_

"_Olivia, I'm sorry...I don't want to disturb you, but we need to talk."_

"_I thought I made my point clear the last time. There is nothing to talk about",_ the hotelier stated harshly.

"_Now there is. 'Cause things have changed",_ Natalia insisted.

Hearing that Olivia Wolfe's face darkened even more, but then she grabbed the latina by the arm and pulled her into her office, closing the door behind them.

"_What is it? Oh, I know...how much more money do you want?"_

The hotel owner looked at her, somehow annoyed, somehow even disgusted.

"_This is not about money, Olivia. Not at all. This is about Emma."_

That said Natalia took a picture of the little girl out of her pocket and put it onto the hotelier's desk.

She had taken the picture the day she had taken Emma out of the orphanage just in case she needed to prove to the judge that the little girl had been attacked.

Olivia took the picture and stared at her daughter, who held the teddy bear tight and seemed to be unbelievably sad with her bruised and swollen eye, _"What happened to her?"_

"_One of the kids at the orphanage did that after she had ripped the arm of Emma's bear out",_ the latina explained quickly and recognized that the hotelier had started to shiver, _"She is fine now, though. Me and my boyfriend took her in foster care."_

For a few moments Olivia didn't say a word, but then she looked straight at the latina, completely cold again, _"And why are you bothering me then? Seems like you found her a home."_

"_Listen, Olivia. It's not that easy. Give me five minutes and I'll explain everything to you."_

Natalia was aware of the fact, that if she wouldn't get the hotelier to listen now, she never would.

And so she stood there, waiting, staring right into the green eyes of a woman she barely knew.

"_For Heaven's sake! Take a seat then. Five minutes and not a second more. I can't be late for lunch with my wife",_ the hotelier grumbled after a while.

Natalia had done her best to make clear to Olivia how important she was for Emma although she had left years ago, had told her everything the little girl had told her about her mother and how much her daughter worried about her well – being.

Olivia had to care about this.

Had to think about this and act on it, right?

"_I really appreciate what you are trying to do here, Natalia. And I know you will never understand why I did what I did or why I act like I act, but there is no way that Emma can live with me."_

"_Did you actually listen to me, Mrs. Wolfe?"_

The latina couldn't believe it.

This woman clearly had no heart. At least not anymore.

"_In fact, I listened to you very well. And you keep telling me that Emma needs a warm and loving home, a mother, who has time to take care of her and I tell you I am not this person. And I never will be. You really think Emma would be happy here? I barely have time for myself, how am I supposed to take care of a child? A child I left years ago. Which means that Emma can't have been that important to me 'cause otherwise I wouldn't have left, or don't you think so?"_

Olivia was watching her closely and Natalia started to feel really uncomfortable.

And what was worse than that was that the latina had to admit that the hotel owner had a point, _"I'm sure you had your reasons, Mrs. Wolfe, but..."_

"_There is no 'but', Natalia. I can't help you."_

"_I understand",_ the latina dropped her head, _"I'm sorry for bothering you again."_

And then she stood up, ready to leave_, "But Olivia…"_

"_What?"_

There was the barking again.

"_Just because you can't help me doesn't mean that you don't want to."_

* * *

Natalia had stormed out of the office, not able to breathe.

What was wrong with Olivia Wolfe?

She couldn't believe that she didn't care about Emma at all.

'Cause there had been moments when she had thought she had seen the hint of a tear in those green eyes.

But what was she supposed to do?

She sure couldn't force Olivia into being a mother to Emma again.

Suddenly Greg had bumped into her and had brought her back to reality.

Natalia knew staying around would be pointless and so she headed for the front door, ready to leave when Blake held her back, _"You might come back after the election. Then it will be a much better time to talk to Olivia. About whatever...she is under a lot of pressure right now, you have to understand that."_

"_I'm not coming back, Miss Marler. So there is nothing to worry about. Mrs. Wolfe made it very clear to me that she is not interested in talking to me."_

"_Well, forget about that little bitch and talk to me then."_

Natalia turned round just to see a business woman, she had never seen before, _"I'm sorry, but who are you?"_

"_Reva. Reva Shayne Lewis."_

"_Am I supposed to know you?"_

The latina was confused.

"_Reva, please leave. If Olivia finds out you are here the hell will break loose", _Blake Marler didn't seem to be happy to see that woman at _'The Beacon'._

"_I have to catch a plane anyway. Good bye, Blake. And it was nice meeting you, Mrs..."_

"_My driver is waiting outside. Let me escort you to the airport", _the woman interrupted, _"I want to talk to you about something..."_

And although Natalia wasn't quite sure what this was about she nodded in the end.

* * *

Natalia still couldn' t believe it.

Reva Shayne Lewis had offered her a job.

Out of nowhere.

That woman had told her that she had heard about her standing up to Olivia Wolfe, when she had been to Springfield the first time and Natalia still wondered, who could have possibly told her?

Greg? Blake?

Whatever.

And Reva had also told her that it was some sort of a qualification to stand up to the "dragon" and that she was interested in hiring her.

The latina had declined in the most polite way 'cause she already had a job, a family and a life, but Reva had insisted that she took her business card.

And that she should think about it.

The whole flight Natalia had been thinking about this strange woman and her motives.

Why would she hire a person, she didn't even know?

Well, it didn't matter anyway 'cause the latina wouldn't move to Springfield.

Now why would she?


	9. Chapter 9

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 9**

The minute Natalia entered her apartment that evening she knew something was wrong.

She could tell by the look on Frank's face.

"_Where have you been?"_ he asked without bothering to say 'Hello'.

"_At work."_

"_Don't lie to me, Natalia. I called in to ask for you, but they told me you had a day off. So where were you?"_

He seemed to be very upset and in a way Natalia could understand him, but on the other hand...

"_Are you spying on me now? Controlling me or what?"_ she snapped.

"_No. Not at all. The school called and asked me to pick up Emma 'cause she has gotten sick and you couldn't be reached. That's why I tried to find you!"_

"_Oh my God, is she okay?"_

All the anger was gone within a heartbeat and Natalia felt so unbelievably guilty.

"_Yeah, she is. Buzz picked her up and took her to the doctor. She's got a bad cold, but she is sleeping now",_ Frank explained quickly and the latina recognized the worried look on her boyfriend's face, which made her feel even worse.

For a while neither of them spoke, but then Frank looked at her intensely, _"Natalia, where were you?"_

"_I was in Springfield"_, her head dropped in shame the second she had said it out loud.

"_WHAT?!"_

* * *

Frank hadn't reacted well to the news.

Well, what had she expected?

The police officer had changed his whole life for her 'cause she had decided to take Emma into foster care.

He had done everything in his power to be there for all of them, had helped out with everything and he tried to be as supportive as possible to Emma.

Frank had come to like this little girl, to honestly care for her as if she would be his own daughter.

And Natalia had made decisions behind his back once again.

She had tried to explain that she just wanted the best for Emma and it was more than just clear that the little girl missed her mother terribly, that it would break her own heart if Olivia Wolfe would indeed decide to take responsibility for her child, but that they had to do what was best for Emma.

But Frank hadn't even listened.

He simply had been too hurt, had felt betrayed and Natalia knew she couldn't blame him

She would have felt the same if she would have been in his position.

And the worst about the whole situation was that her "secret" trip to Springfield had been pointless.

* * *

Some weeks later Rafe had told Natalia that he enlisted and her whole world fell apart.

After Frank avoiding her most of the time since their fight about her being to Springfield again, he hadn't been around much and although she had tried to apologize, Natalia knew it would take him a while to forgive her, to trust her again.

And now her son would join the army.

Natalia simply couldn't believe it.

All her life she had worked hard, had saved money so her son would be able to go to college and now he would become a soldier and maybe he would even die in a war.

What had she done wrong?

She had tried to raise him to the teachings of the church, had tried to raise him to be a good man and now he was about to enter the military.

Somehow Natalia Rivera felt like God was punishing her and when Frank told her on the phone that he thought Rafe's decision was brave the bubble of her "perfect" family life burst completely.

And Frank's support and understanding for her son didn't make anything better, in fact it made everything worse.

'Cause now she felt completely left alone.

* * *

Three days later Rafe was already packing and knowing that she wasn't able to do anything about it broke Natalia's heart.

Her son had told her that everything would be fine countless times, that she shouldn't worry about him, that he wanted her to take good care of Emma and that she should start living her life after sacrificing so much for him all these years.

But now the latina felt as if she would have failed completely.

What was the point in all her sacrifices when her son could be killed day by day.

Sure, there was no guarantee for growing old, but joining the army wouldn't get his chances up.

And Natalia was nowhere near ready for losing her only son, her only child.

Parents don't ever get ready to lose their children, now do they?

She knew that she had to accept Rafe's decision, that he was old enough to choose his own way, but that did not mean that she had to be overjoyed.

'Cause she wasn't.

And she never would be.

At least Emma was doing better and more familiar with everything by now, but how would she react to Rafe leaving?

The little girl had lost enough people in her life and she didn't really understand why Frank wasn't around at the moment.

And now the person she considered her "big brother" would be gone soon too.

Natalia felt so sorry for the little girl and she prayed, more than ever, that Olivia Wolfe would come to her senses

But it didn't look like she would do that anytime soon.

Sitting in the kitchen, all by herself, the latina tried to find her notebook 'cause she couldn't remember for which time the meeting at work was set the next day and by taking all her stuff out of her bag she found a certain business card she had wanted to throw away the day she had returned from Springfield.

But somehow she hadn't.

And now it was lying right in front of her.

The business card of Reva Shaynes Lewis.

Which could be her ticket into a future she had never imagined.

And before she could have thought about it twice, she had dialed the number already, her heart pounding in her chest like crazy.

Natalia didn't know why she was even considering moving to another town, but somehow, deep down she had the feeling that it was the right thing to do.

Only God knew why.

She never had been much of a spontaneous person, but right now Natalia Rivera needed a change.

A real one.

"_Hello. Mrs. Shayne Lewis? This is Natalia Rivera. You've given me your card some weeks ago and I just wondered if your offer still stands..."_


	10. Chapter 10

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 10**

"_Natalia, you can't move to Springfield from one day to the next!" _

Frank had been surprised, shocked even, had tried to talk sense into her, but after Rafe had left she had felt the need to leave more than ever.

She had been so sick of Chicago for years, but now the moment to let go had come.

And since Natalia had this great job offer, why would she stay?

Personal assistant of Reva Shayne Lewis.

Sure, she was a little bit scared, but on the other hand the latina was all excited.

Especially since Reva had told her that she would get her a place for Emma in the daycare, like she did for all her employees.

Reva's former husband, who had died in a plane crash, had grown a real estate empire in the area of Springfield, which the tough widow was running now.

And although Natalia loved her job as a social worker she was sure that a job of subject would be good for her 'cause seeing all the kids she would never be able to really help had taken a toll on her and it made her even more grateful that she had been able to save Emma.

Maybe Olivia would come around once they would live in Springfield and if the hotelier would take responsibility for her daughter after all, she would be able to visit her from time to time, which meant that Natalia wouldn't lose the little girl completely.

She had told Frank that he could always move to Springfield with her, that he for sure could get a job in the Springfield police, but he had told her that he wouldn't leave his family just 'cause she had decided to do so.

Hearing him say that had hurt Natalia deeply 'cause she loved Frank.

He had always been there for her, had cared for her, had treated Rafe and even Emma as if they were his own.

She had always been able to count on him, no matter what.

But why couldn't he see that it was time for them to go, to start over new?

All she could do was hoping that he would change his mind one day, but the truth was that Natalia wasn't so sure about that.

She was packing none-the-less, trying to hide her sorrows from Emma 'cause the little girl was all excited about them moving to a new city.

The hotelier's daughter obviously believed in a better future there and Natalia prayed that God wouldn't let them down.

* * *

Two days later they had been picked up by Reva Shayne Lewis and her driver at the airport of Springfield and they had brought them to their new home, which Natalia had fallen in love with the second she had seen it.

A very comfortable and welcoming old farmhouse in the suburbs of Springfield.

Emma was overjoyed 'cause of all the animals and Natalia was so happy that Reva had found them a place like that, especially since she had told her new boss that she didn't want to live in the city center.

Nature was too important for kids.

When Reva had told her that the rent was ridiculously low and that there always would be the option to buy the place the latina felt even better.

Sure, she had to think about it 'cause buying a house was a much bigger investment than shopping groceries, but somehow Natalia already knew, deep in her heart, that this farmhouse would be the place for her.

For her and Emma.

Luck really seemed to be on their side.

* * *

She had started working for Reva right the next day and Natalia had been so nervous once she had walked into the office, which was supposed to be her new working place.

Wearing a business suit felt strange, but good and the latina was curious what would be ahead of her.

Right that moment Reva had shown up, had handed her a chart and had told her to follow her 'cause they were supposed to be at 'The Beacon' in ten minutes.

When Natalia heard the name of Olivia Wolfe's hotel she almost choked.

What was that supposed to mean?

But she hadn't been given time to think about it and before the latina could have done anything they were entering the front door of the hotel already, much to the surprise of Greg and Blake Marler, who were standing there, welcoming the guests.

Welcoming the guests for a press conference.

What was going on?

Natalia didn't understand and she felt the urge to run away.

Wasn't she supposed to sell overpriced apartments to wealthy people? Or at least show them around in said apartments or whatever?

The one good thing was that Emma was in school, that nobody knew who the little girl really was.

Except her.

Somehow she felt like panicking, but what would it help?

So she just started to pray that Olivia wouldn't be here today, but of course she wasn't that lucky 'cause right that moment Reva announced, _"Natalia, may I introduce you to the mayor of Springfield, Mrs. Doris Wolfe. And I guess there is no need to introduce you to her lovely wife since you know Olivia already. Doris, this is my new personal assistant, Natalia Rivera."_

"_It's...it's nice to...to meet you, Mrs. Wolfe. Olivia...I'm sorry, I'll be right back"_, and with that Natalia headed out of the hotel, simply 'cause she hadn't been able to look the hotelier in the eye.

But somebody grabbed her arm right that second and once she turned round Natalia had to face a very furious Olivia Wolfe, _"What the hell are you doing here again?!"_

"_I'm working...I'm working for Reva now",_ Natalia answered quickly, but she wasn't sure if that would make the situation any better.

"_You are what?!"_

Olivia looked like she would get a heart attack any second.

"_You want to ruin me, right?"_ the hotelier barked after a while.

"_No! Why would you think that? I just needed a change and Reva offered me a job",_ the latina tried to sound calming, but it didn't help any.

"_Where is the girl?"_

"_Olivia, the girl is your daughter. And she is here, with me. Don't worry, she is at school at the moment."_

"_Does Reva know that she is my..."_

"_No. No one knows", _Natalia assured her.

"_You better keep it that way", _Olivia started to breathe hard, _"I knew Reva would come up with something to get Doris down, but I never thought that you were anything like her."_

"_Olivia, what are you talking about?"_

The latina didn't understand a word.

"_Reva is running for the mayor's office."_

Natalia's eyes grew wide.

That was the reason Reva Shayne Lewis hired her?

Simply 'cause Reva had to know that the latina knew something about Olivia Wolfe, that they shared a secret, kind of.

What if Reva knew that it was all about Emma?

Natalia seriously doubted it, but one never knew.

What was she supposed to do now?

What had she gotten herself into?


	11. Chapter 11

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 11**

Natalia felt like her head would explode any second.

This couldn't be true.

It had to be a nightmare, all of it.

But since Olivia was still staring at her with these furiously sparkling green eyes and the latina feared that the hotelier would strangle her any second, it had to be true.

"_I'm so sorry. I really didn't know about that. About Reva running for the mayor's office I mean",_ Natalia managed to say after a while.

"_What do you want here? Here in Springfield. I won't take Emma and you know it", _the hotelier answered harshly.

"_She misses you terribly. I thought you might want to see her if you get the chance too. I bet you've changed a lot over the last few years and Emma doesn't remember how you look like anyway. You have nothing to lose, Olivia."_

The latina had chosen her words wisely, had spoken in a very warm tone and for a second she thought that she might have reached the hotelier, through all of her walls.

But then Olivia's face darkened even more and she stepped closer and closer, until their noses were almost touching and Natalia could feel the breath of the older woman on her own skin, _"I don't want to see her. I don't want anything to do with that kid, do you understand?"_

All the latina could do was nod.

She wasn't able to move, not even blink.

As if Olivia would have paralyzed her.

"_And if you try to force me into something or blackmail me...or trick me into "accidentally" bumping into her...I swear to God you won't know what hit you. Is that clear?!"_

"_Y-yes...yes, of course. I mean...that won't happen. You won't get to see her. You have my word", _Natalia stammered.

"_You better not break it. Ever."_

From the look on Olivia's face and the strange tone in her voice the latina could tell that she meant it.

And since the whole situation had become so very complicated Natalia knew that she had to keep Emma out of this anyway.

Right that second Reva showed up, "catching" the two women in that bizarre situation, _"I hope I don't interrupt anything here, ladies, but the press conference starts in a minute and I would need my personal assistant by my side now."_

The hotelier jumped at the words and stormed off immediately, which caused Natalia to blush heavily, _"I…I'm coming. I'm sorry, Reva. I just..."_

* * *

The press conference wasn't really exciting and Natalia tried not to yawn although she was very tired.

The last days in Chicago had been stressful and she had been up late the night before to unpack all of her and Emma's stuff.

Olivia was watching her closely, she could feel it, but she didn't dare to take a glimpse at the hotelier.

She should have thought this through before she had moved to Springfield head over heels.

But now it was too late, simply cause she was here already.

Once the conference was over Reva told her that she didn't need her anymore today and that she should go pick up Emma and spend the rest of the day with the little girl, much to Natalia's surprise.

In the end she had been happy though 'cause she felt overextended with the whole situation and the latina knew she had to think about it and come up with some sort of a plan quickly.

* * *

The next few days had been uneventful.

Work was actually more fun than expected and Emma loved Springfield and the farmhouse.

And that's why Natalia had decided to buy that house in the end.

She had talked to Rafe on the phone, who had told her that he was doing great and that she should go for it, that he couldn't wait to see their new home on Christmas and so Natalia had taken all her savings to buy a home on her own.

Frank hadn't come around yet and he probably never would, which made her very sad, but she had to think about Emma 'cause when it came to children Natalia took her duties very seriously.

She had bumped into Olivia twice, of course every time while she was in company of Reva, who had watched them suspiciously so they hadn't been able to talk.

Which was a shame actually 'cause even if the hotelier had been so unfriendly and unapproachable all the time Natalia still wanted to know more about Olivia Wolfe.

There had to be a reason behind her acting and behavior.

* * *

Today Reva had a meeting with the mayor and the latina wished that her presence wouldn't be required, but of course it was.

And as soon as they entered Doris Wolfe's office, Natalia's eyes met some familiar green ones.

There she was again.

Olivia.

"_Doris, I think it's time you officially welcome Natalia Rivera as a citizen of Springfield. I don't know if you heard the news yet, but she bought Cassie's old place the other day", _Reva announced, almost bouncing out of joy.

And the hotelier's jaw - dropped.

"_Well, congratulations then, Miss Rivera. I'm glad to hear that you like it here...in MY town."_

"_Thank you, Mayor Wolfe. And you are right...I really enjoy being in Springfield. In fact I felt home the second I saw the farmhouse", _Natalia answered and smiled, showing her dimples.

"_That's great!" _Doris nodded, then she turned to her wife, _"Olivia, darling, I have some business to do, but you can do me a favor and show Miss Rivera here around a little. You don't mind, do you?"_

Now it was Natalia's jaw, that dropped.

Did God really hate her that much?

But before she could say something Olivia Wolfe grabbed her by the arm and pulled her with her and the latina knew she was in trouble.

In big trouble.

* * *

"_Have you completely lost your mind? Why on earth would you buy a house in Springfield?"_

Olivia barked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"_Believe it or not...I like it here", _Natalia stated firmly.

The hotelier sighed heavily.

Now that raven haired latina was one stubborn person.

"_Fine. I know I can't change your mind anyway. And as long as you don't forget about our deal..."_

"_I won't, Olivia. I promised you. I want the best for Emma, so Reva can't find out. Ever. And Emma loves her new life here with all the animals. If somebody knew who she is her life would become one big nightmare and I won't let that happen", _Natalia reassured.

"_Good. We are clear then. Want some coffee?"_

Natalia thought she might have misunderstood.

Had Olivia Wolfe indeed had offered her coffee? For real?

"_Don't look at me like that. I know it sounds bizarre, but I could really use one", _the hotelier announced and the latina nodded in the end.

They had went over to "Towers" and Olivia had sent her wife a text that they had left the building in case Reva would look for Natalia.

And once they sat there the hotelier had started talking, completely out of the blue.

"_I know you think I'm a cold hearted bitch..."_

"_No, I would never..."_

"_Don't deny it, Natalia. It's okay. 'Cause you are right. But I haven't always been like that", _Olivia seemed to be sad.

"_What happened to you then?"_

Natalia felt the urge to touch the hotelier's hand, which was resting on the table, but she didn't dare to.

"_Philipp. Philipp Spaulding. That's what happened to me..."_


	12. Chapter 12

**NEVER FORGET**  
**Chapter 12**

Natalia sat there, completely dumbstruck.  
What Olivia had just said didn't fit in the picture of Emma's loving father, who had done everything in his power to provide his daughter a good life.

But there was no reason for Olivia to lie to her.  
What had happened between the hotelier and her ex-husband before she had left Chicago and Emma behind?

Before Natalia could have asked Olivia about it, the hotelier's phone had rang and after a short conversation the wife of Mayor Wolfe had told her that she had to go 'cause of an urgent appointment.

The Latina was so confused that she kept sitting at Towers for a while longer, not knowing what to think of the whole situation.  
-

She hadn't been able to focus on work for the rest of the day, which had caused Reva Shayne Lewis to look at her suspiciously once again.  
Somehow her new boss seemed to be watching her every step anyway and that made Natalia feel even more uncomfortable.  
-

After a relaxing and fun evening with Emma she had been able to get some hours of sleep and so Natalia Rivera returned to work with new motivation the next day.  
For one she couldn't afford to make a mistake at her job 'cause she was still new and needed the money and said job to so Emma could stay with her, maybe even to adopt her one day.  
And, what was even more important, she couldn't risk to get Reva even more suspicious 'cause then Mrs. Shayne Lewis would really start digging.  
It would be just a matter of time then 'til the truth would come out and that couldn't happen.  
Emma had been through more than enough.  
And Olivia obviously too.

Olivia.  
She hadn't seen the hotelier since they had coffee together, but she would talk to her eventually.  
She would talk to her and she would get Olivia Wolfe to tell her the truth.  
Although Natalia wasn't sure if she really wanted to know.  
Or if she could take it.  
-

Two days later Natalia got the chance she had been waiting for.

She had wanted to do some grocery shopping after work when she bumped into the hotelier, she had been dying to talk to.  
And since Emma was on a sleepover at her newfound friend Jody's she didn't have to hurry and pick the little girl either.

Unfortunately Olivia wasn't really thrilled about the latina's idea of having coffee together again.  
Neither did she have time for chatting 'cause she had to organize "The Mayor's Ball", nor was she in the mood for company.  
She was suffering from a massive headache and wanted nothing more than to get her work done and to bed to get some rest.

But Natalia obviously didn't even think about backing off and Olivia silently cursed the day that stubborn Latina had rushed into her office and her life, but gave in in the end.  
-

Olivia didn't seem to feel well 'cause she had kept rubbing the bridge of her nose repeatedly and Natalia hadn't dared to ask the questions, which were burning under her fingernails after all.

Plus the hotelier clearly wasn't in the mood for talking.  
In fact Olivia Wolfe looked like fainting any second, which had the raven haired woman worried within a heartbeat.

Natalia asked her if everything would be okay twice, but didn't get an answer, nor a reaction from the older woman, who didn't seem to pay attention at all.

It was then that the Latina touched Olivia's hand to get the hotelier to focus and it worked immediately.

"You need to get some rest", Natalia stated seriously, making her point clear by looking the hotelier straight in the eye.

"I have too much work to do. And it's just a headache anyway."

But when Olivia wanted to prove Natalia wrong by getting up she felt dizzy, felt how her knees went weak.  
She was aware of the fact that she would fall, so she closed her eyes, praying that she wouldn't hurt herself by crashing on the floor.

Only that she actually never hit the ground, but felt somebody's arms grabbing her, holding her against another body, supporting her to stay on her own feet.  
And when Olivia Wolfe pushed her eyes opened again she looked straight into the warm brown eyes of the one person, who was truly challenging her.  
Natalia Rivera.

She had tried to talk her out of it, but the Latina had insisted to bring her back to 'The Beacon'.

Of course they had ran into Reva on the way, who had looked at them as if she had seen a ghost, but Olivia was far away from being able to pick a fight with her worst enemy.

And the hotelier had to admit that her practically hanging on Natalia's shoulder must have looked strange to everyone.  
-

Natalia sighed heavily when she left the suite of Olivia Wolfe.  
Simply 'cause she was worried and didn't get why the hotelier hadn't gone home to the house, where she lived together with her wife.

Plus she was sure that Olivia would be out of her bed and back to work as soon as she would be out of the hotel.

She still wanted the truth, wanted the best for Emma, but today she had realized that she had to take a step back for now.  
That she had to take things easy on Olivis, who seemed to be under a lot of pressure anyway.

For now she would stay away.

She wouldn't stay away complately, but Natalia knew she had to keep a safe distance, so people wouldn't feel the need to pay attention.  
That wouldn't do any good, it would cause nothing, but chaos and neither one of them needed that.  
Neither her, nor Olivia. Not to talk about Emma.


	13. Chapter 13

**NEVER FORGET**  
**Chapter 13**

A few days later Frank had called, completely unexpected, and had asked Natalia if she would mind if he would pay them a visit 'cause he missed her and Emma like crazy.

Natalia had been thrilled to hear from him 'cause she had given up hoping for Frank to come around when he hadn't even called to check if they had a good start in Springfield, but now she was even happier.

So they had agreed that he would get on a flight the upcoming weekend and Emma was all excited when she heard that Frank would come visit them in a few days, which made Natalia smile even more.

Some family time would have her distracted and that was exactly what she needed.  
A little break from her worried self.

Olivia would be fine.  
Plus it was none of her business anyway.

And yet, somehow, in a weird way, she cared for the unapproachable hotelier, who happened to be Emma's mother.  
-

She entered the office smiling the next morning, which got her a strange look from Reva Shayne Lewis, but Natalia decided it wasn't worth bothering.

The Latina felt enthusiastic and for once she thought that everything would work out fine in the end.  
For all of them.  
And what was even more surprising - she believed in it.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

Natalia jumped at Olivia's words and almost fell from the chair.  
Now that was unexpected.

"Didn't mean to frighten you, sorry. If you don't have time it's okay...I just...your office was on my way back to 'The Beacon'...", the hotelier tried to explain the situation.

"No. It's fine, Olivia. It's good to see you."  
Natalia smiled one of her dimpled smiles, but then she noticed Reva, who was standing in the doorframe, watching her and Olivia Wolfe with an interest, that made her feel uncomfortable.  
-

She had told her boss that she was leaving for an early lunch none-the-less 'cause Olivia looked like she needed somebody to talk to.

Aware of the fact that her plan of staying away had went straight to hell Natalia followed the hotelier into her suite only a few minutes later.

"Olivia, what's going on?"  
She didn't get why the older woman behaved so secretive and looked at her expectantly.

"I need my privacy. Since the election campaign started I haven't had much of that. Sometimes it drives me nuts, really", Olivia mumbled while she called for the room service.

"Oh, I can imagine. I'm not sure if I could stand it", the Latina admitted honestly, "But that's not the reason I'm here, is it?"

"I wanted to thank you for helping me out a few days ago. I know I haven't been nice to you for the most time...and still you were helping me. That's quite something. So, thank you", Olivia stated, "And..."

But then the hotelier turned silent from one second to the next.

"And?"  
Now Natalia was really confused.

"Well, I wanted to...offer you a job?", the hotelier sounded very insecure, as if she wouldn't be convinced by her own plan.  
Maybe she wasn't.

"You what?!"  
She thought she might have misunderstood.  
But when Olivia looked at her, obviously waiting for an answer, Natalia realized that the hotelier must be serious.  
The mayor's wife clearly had lost her mind.

"A job? Like what?"  
Natalia had barely been able to form a coherent sentence, still not able to believe what she had heard just a few seconds ago.

"I need a new personal assistant 'cause I've fired Blake this morning."

"Why is that? She seemed to be very competent."  
The Latina didn't get a word.

"Because Blake was spying on me in the name of Reva Shayne Lewis", Olivia countered, obviously hurt that her personal assistant had betrayed her in this difficult time.

Silence.

"Listen, Natalia, I know it sounds crazy, but I need you. You are the one person from whom I think is trustworthy, honest and loyal. And I need that."

When the Latina still didn't react, the hotelier added, "I'll behave...I promise. And I'll pay for...the kid's daycare. And a nanny if you need one. And whatever Reva paid you...I'll pay you the double."

"You really think I care about the money?", Natalia snapped all of a sudden, "You practically blackmailed me to keep silent about your secret, which by the way has a name. That kid, YOUR daughter, is called Emma. It is the name YOU have chosen, the name YOU, her MOTHER, have given her. You have treated me like crap and now you want to hire me? No, thank you."

With that the Latina got up and stormed off to the door, but Olivia held her back, "I know I made a huge mistake and I misjudged the situation, but I'm willing to try to make it up to you. Just think about it, okay?"

The begging tone in the older woman's trembling voice and the sadness in these stunning green eyes touched Natalia's heart, but she was too upset to let Olivia know or even see that.  
So she just left, completely confused and without knowing what to think of all that.  
-

When the Latina returned to her office her thoughts were a jumble once again.  
All the chaos with Olivia was taking a toll on her.  
She hadn't realized it 'til the hotelier had offered her a job.

All the time the older woman had been such a bitch and although Natalia worried about her, she couldn't tolerate any of this any longer.  
She would stay away now.  
For real.

"Drama in paradise?"  
Reva's voice had Natalia out of her thoughts immediately.

"I beg your pardon, Misses Shayne Lewis?"

"Darling, I'm not stupid you know..."

The latina's eyes went wide.  
Had she said or done something wrong?  
"I never...I mean", she stammered, not sure what to say.

"Natalia, since when are you and Olivia having this dirty little affair?"  
Reva looked at her provokingly.

"What are you talking about?  
The raven haired woman didn't understand what her boss was pointing to, but then it hit her.  
Why people were watching them so intensly all the time.  
What impression they might have got.

"Oh my God, no! Reva, you couldn't be more wrong. We never had an affair and we'll for sure never have one. I'm straight and...engaged. To police officer Frank Cooper...who will come to Springfield this weekend", Natalia commented quickly, then added, "I know you are searching for something, that would get you an advantage for your run for the mayor's office. But I'm the wrong person for that. That dirty little secret about Olivia you are searching for...doesn't exist. Sorry to disappoint you."

"You are lying!", Reva yelled.

At that Natalia got up, calm and focused, ready to leave, "No, I am not. And if you knew me you would know that yourself. Good luck for that mayor thing..."

Then she headed for the exit, stopped once again, right before she crossed the doorway, "Before I forget it...I quit."

And with that Natalia Rivera left, full well aware that Reva and her actions had pushed her right back to the person, she had wanted to stay away from.  
Olivia Wolfe.

Just with the difference, that now it was her, who needed the hotelier's help.  
Not the other way round.  
She had given away the one chance of setting the rules 'cause now it were Olivia's conditions she had to adapt to.


	14. Chapter 14

**NEVER FORGET**  
**Chapter 14**

"So, let me get this straight...you quit your job at Reva's 'cause she thinks we are having an affair?"  
Olivia couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud.

"That's not funny, Olivia! I'm not..."  
The Latina didn't dare to go on talking.

"You aren't...what exactly?"  
The hotelier looked at her provokingly.

"I...I...what I mean is..."  
More babbling and Natalia felt herself blushing, which made the situation a lot worse.

"Yes?"  
Olivia couldn't hide her amusement.

"I have a boyfriend, okay? He is coming to visit in a few days and I don't want him to hear any of this gossip. We had a hard time with me moving to Springfield and I don't need any more trouble now that things are finally getting better. Do you understand that?"  
Natalia's brown eyes showed how worried the Latina was, when her eyes met the stunning green ones of a certain hotelier, "And Olivia...think about Emma. You know how cruel kids can be. I want her to have a chance here. She loves Springfield and the farm...and she's been through enough."

And all of a sudden Olivia Spencer got all serious herself, "I know you are right. But you need to understand that...under that circumstances...there is no way I can hire you."

Natalia nodded 'cause she had came to that realization herself only a moment ago.

"I'll help you get a job, okay? You have bills to pay...I'm aware of that", the hotelier announced out of the blue and all the Latina could do was to nod again.  
She felt numb and somehow even naive.  
Maybe this whole moving to Springfield thing had been a stupid idea and Frank had been right from the beginning.  
They could be a family already if she would have stayed in Chicago, but she had been too stubborn to see it.

It was right then that Natalia Rivera looked into Olivia's eyes once again and it also was the moment she realized that she was exactly where she belonged.

There had to be a way.  
There would be a way.  
For all of them.  
-

Frank's visit had been a short, but great one.  
He had told Natalia that he had applied for a job in Springfield since he had been promoted some days ago, which meant that he was a detective now and the Latina was thrilled about the news.  
And so was Emma.

They had spent two wonderful days in Springfield together with the little girl, who had been overjoyed to have Frank there, playing with her like her father used to.  
And so Frank left with the promise to be back as soon as possible, which brought a huge smile to his girls faces.

Natalia knew she should have told him about her being currently unemployed, but she hadn't wanted to ruin their newfound happiness.  
And she still had hope that Olivia would be able to help her out somehow.  
-

A few days later the hotelier called indeed to let the Latina know that she had talked to her wife and Doris had told her to hire Natalia anyway, that the mayor would take care of the gossip problem.  
And that she expected the Latina to be at her office the next morning.

Natalia wasn't sure if it would be a good idea, but on the other hand she was aware of the fact that she wouldn't be able to stay away.  
She would work with Olivia Spencer.  
-

Reality never was as kind as someone's imagination and being Olivia Spencer's assistant clearly was way more difficult than Natalia had expected.

There was a lot of fighting and yelling and since both of them were stubborn as hell and nowhere near backing off or stepping back from an argument, Olivia and Natalia spent a lot more time in the office than they would have needed to.  
Simply cause everything took much longer with them debating practically over everything.  
And although their relationship was 100 % work related, both women enjoyed each other's company in a weird way.  
Even with all the arguing.

Olivia clearly was impressed that somebody finally dared to stand their ground with her and Natalia loved proving the hotelier wrong.  
-

Two weeks before Christmas Frank finally moved to Springfield, which caused Emma to bounce around like crazy.  
He would stay in his own little apartment in the city center for starters 'cause he and Natalia had decided to take things slow plus he would be at the station a lot faster in case he was needed.  
The farmhouse simply wasn't the perfect place to live for a detective, who would be on call most of the time.

Olivia and Natalia on the other hand finally got along better, but that didn't mean they weren't fighting anymore.

They fought with so much passion that it scared the hotelier at times, but when Natalia and Olivia were honest they both loved all their battles like nothing else about them working together.  
-

Doris would be gone during Christmas and wouldn't be back before January, the 5th 'cause of some promotion - strategy her new PR agent had come up with.

The bare thought of Olivia being all alone during the holidays made Natalia sad, but the Latina didn't dare to invit her over to the farmhouse 'cause she knew that Frank wouldn't tolerate it and a fight on Christmas was the last thing she wanted.

And the fact that Natalia hadn't even told him that she was working for Olivia Spencer yet made the whole situation more than just impossible.  
-

When the Latina entered the hotelier's office the evening before Christmas to wish Olivia 'Happy Holidays' she found her boss stuck with a lot of paper work.

"You need to stop working for a while, Olivia. It's Christmas for Heaven's sake..."

"I have nothing else to do. There's nobody waiting for me at home, no place for me to go. So the least I can do is to catch up on all that stuff 'cause with all the extra events for Doris in the near future there won't be a better time than now", the hotelier stated, trying to sound not too depressed.

It wasn't that Olivia Spencer cared much about Christmas, actually she didn't care about it at all, but being all by herself made her sad anyway.

Of course the hotelier hadn't been able to fool Natalia, hadn't been able to hide her feelings from her, but the Latina had decided to keep silent for once 'cause Olivia would never admit any of it anyway.  
And she didn't want to embarrass her or make her feel even worse.

"Good night, Olivia...don't work too much. And if you need anything...just call me, okay?"

"Don't worry, Natalia. I'll be fine. Enjoy the holidays with your family", the hotelier answered quickly before she turned her attention back to the papers on her desk.

Natalia was about to head out of the office, but stopped once again, looking at the hotelier, "Merry Christmas, Olivia."

"Yeah...merry Christmas, Natalia. Make it a good one. One E...Em...one Emma will always remember."  
For a moment Olivia smiled, then she turned all serious again.

"She loves you. She always will. Never forget that", the Latina contered sincerely.

"I love her too. Always have, always will."  
Olivia's voice was barely a whisper and stayed unnoticed by Natalia, who had already left the room.

Only a second too early to hear the truth.  
Only a second too early to see the tear, which Olivia shed for the child she never had wanted to leave.


	15. Chapter 15

**NEVER FORGET**  
**Chapter 15**

After shopping the last groceries the next morning Natalia debatted whether she should check on Olivia or not, but in the end she had to.  
She didn'tknow why it was so important to herself to know if the hotelier was okay, but Natalia was sure that she wouldn't be able to enjoy Christmas if she didn't check on Olivia.

And when the latina entered The Beacon, she immediately was greeted by Greg, who told her that the dragon was sitting in her office, yelling like crazy.

Right that moment Natalia realized that she had to do something, that this "being alone on Christmas" was a lot harder on Olivia than she had thought.  
She had known from begin with that the hotelier had been lying when she had told her that she didn't care about spending the holidays on her own, but Natalia hadn't dared to say anything.

But now she knew that Olivia needed help, needed her to be there for her and she clearly wouldn't let her down.

Knocking carefully the latina expected a harsh bark or something, but nothing.  
No noise at all.

She knocked again without any response, so Natalia opened the door with shaking hands, hoping that Olivia wouldn't throw something at her.

And the older woman didn't.  
'Cause she simply wasn't there.

Hadn't Greg told her only a minute ago that Olivia was in her office?

Obviously she had left right before Natalia's arrival, so the latina went straight for the elevator and up to the hotelier's suite, just to bump into the older woman when she left it on the top floor.

"Natalia! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be home cooking turkey?"  
Olivia seemed to be more than just surprised to meet her personal assistant at the hotel this morning.

"I just wanted to know if you are free for an early lunch? All the shopping...well, I could grab a bite", she lied 'cause the truth was that Natalia wasn't hungry at all.

The older woman hesitated for a moment, obviously thinking about it, but then she nodded and smiled, "Sure. Why not."  
-

Their lunch had been relaxing and it had made Olivia feel better 'cause on their way back to The Beacon she was in a much better mood than when they had left and Natalia was glad that she had succeeded in cheering the hotelier up.

"What are you up to in the afternoon?" the latina wanted to know when they entered Olivia's office, but she felt weird for being so nosey immediately.  
It was none of her business, now was it?

"I have an appointment in about half an hour and afterwards I will get all that paperwork done, but I thought I told you already", was the casual answer.

"Please, don't overwork yourself. It's Christmas for Heaven's sake! You deserve a break too..." Natalia tried to talk some sense into Olivia again, but she knew that it was pointless.  
The older woman simply was too stubborn.  
And if the latina was honest - if she had to spend the holidays all by herself she probably would cover herself with work too.

"Have a nice day, Olivia! And if you need anything..."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll survive two days without you. Enjoy your time with your family."  
-

The second Natalia had left her office Olivia had to sit down.  
She hid her face in her hands and surpressed the urge to cry.

Natalia would get to spend Christmas with Emma.  
Natalia would spend it with her daughter.  
-

She was about to get into her car when she heard Olivia screaming her name and when Natalia turned round the hotelier was already standing in front of her.

"What's wrong, Olivia?"

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong", the older woman was breathing hard and pulled a little black box out of her jacket, looking straight into those warm brown eyes, which watched her worridly.  
"Could you just...give that to...to Emma? But don't tell her it's...you know...from me. Please."

Natalia stood there, completely off guard 'cause she would have never expected that.  
Olivia had bought a present for Emma?  
For the child she didn't want to see again.  
What was that supposed to mean?

"I...yeah...uhm...I mean sure. I can do that."

Olivia put the box in the latina's hands and their fingers touched for a second, created a connection neither her, nor Natalia would have expected and they both pulled back in surprise, staring at each other.

"I'm sorry. I gotta go. Merry Christmas, Natalia."  
And with that the hotelier was gone, leaving a confused latina behind.  
-

When Natalia returned to the farmhouse Frank was already waiting for her, standing on the porch, obviously furious.  
And the second she had stood right next to him he had told her that he had been in town with Emma and that they had met Reva Shayne Lewis, who had explained to him that Natalia wasn't working for her anymore, but for a certain Olivia Wolfe.

The detective had been so upset that he hadn't given her a chance to tell him the whole story and he had left her standing in front of the house without telling her if he would come back.  
-

Sitting on the living room couch about an hour later with Emma sleeping right next to her the latina thought about the whole situation.  
She understood why Frank had been so mad at her and she knew she should have told him, but she had been so scared that he wouldn't understand and now he had proved her right.

Working for Olivia wasn't a bad thing, was it it?

Olivia.  
The simple touch they had shared earlier that day had been so overwhelming, so...  
Well, Natalia didn't even know how to explain it.

It's been a moment of closeness and it had made her feel so much.  
And it had scared her to death at the same time.

But before Natalia would have had time to think any further about it Frank entered the house and she sneaked into the kitchen to have a decent conversation with her boyfriend without waking Emma.  
-

They had talked for a long time in the afternoon and in the end they had come to terms that they both wanted a life together with Emma.  
And so Natalia and Frank had decided to make it official - to get married and adopt the little girl.

Afterwards they had had an amazing dinner with the little girl, who was overjoyed when Frank and Natalia told her the news 'cause for her it meant that she would have a family again.  
And that was, according to Emma, the best Christmas present ever.

Now that it was the morning of the 25th of December and the little girl was bouncing excitedly around the Christmas tree, waiting for approval to open up her presents, Natalia couldn't stop herself from smiling.

She felt so blessed with the life she had, but she also was sad that her son was so far away.  
Most of the days she was able to ignore how worried she was about Rafe, but not today.

The second Emma started unwrapping boxes the latina tried to focus on her soon-to-be daughter, but then she heard the phone ringing and she got carried away, hoping that it would be her son.

But as soon as she answered Natalia's face fell.  
It was not Rafe on the other end of the line, but a Dr. Rick, who told her that she had to come to the ER immediately 'cause Olivia had broken down in the lobby of The Beacon.


	16. Chapter 16

NEVER FORGET  
Chapter 16

Natalia rushed into the ER as if the devil was after her.  
Olivia had broken down in The Beacon lobby completely out of the blue and the latina had no explanation for that at all.

Sure, the hotelier had been working a lot, but she had seemed fine.  
At least physically.

She should have payed more attention.  
How could she miss that Olivia was in such a bad condition?

Natalia was so lost in thought that she almost bumped into one of the doctors, who was talking on the phone to somebody.

"I'm sorry. I'm looking for...Olivia. Olivia Wolfe", the latina managed to say, completely out of breath.

"You have to be Natalia Rivera. She is in room 113, right down the corridor, the last one on the right. I'll be there in a minute", the man told her, sounding calm and caring, then he turned his attention back to the mobile phone in his hand, "Doris, I really think it would be better if you'd come home..."

Doris? As in Doris Wolfe?  
Natalia had overheard his words and it dawned on her that things probably would be a lot worse than she had thought.  
Why else would he tell the mayor to come home?  
For sure not 'cause Olivia had collapsed out of exhaustion.  
-

She had entered the room shivering, scared what would await her, but it hadn't been as bad as Natalia had feared.

Olivia was lying in a hospital bed, pale, but conscious and was staring at the wall.  
As soon as she had caught sight of the latina a small smile appeared on her face though and Natalia felt so relieved that she hadn't been able to stop herself from hugging the older woman.

Then she took a seat on a chair right next to the bed and watched the hotelier intensely, "Olivia, what happened? I was worried sick when Dr. Rick called."

"It's...complicated. I can't..."  
Not being able to look Natalia in the eyes she pretended to look out of the window.

"Olivia, you can talk to me about everything...whatever it is. We'll get through it - together."  
Right that moment Dr. Rick entered the room, but he didn't seem to be that happy and once he started to talk Natalia knew why.

"Liv, I'm sorry. She isn't coming. I tried everything to explain to her how important it would be for you that she would be here, but Doris said that you are in the best hands here and that she can't stop touring around at the moment. But she at least promised to  
come home as soon as possible. I'm so sorry that there isn't more I can do..."

"Don't be sorry, Rick. I told you she wouldn't come. It's alright", Olivia answered, sounding surprisingly weak.

"No, it is not, Olivia. She is your wife! She should be here for you during this difficult time. You won't be able to do it all by yourself", the doctor countered with a stern look on his face.

"Excuse me. Could somebody please tell me what is going on?" Natalia interrupted all of a sudden.  
What was all that about?

"I mean...I could take care of Olivia..." then the latina turned round to face the hotelier, "No. I will take care of you, you hear me?! So please tell me what's going on..."

Olivia didn't miss that Natalia's voice was trembling and the frighting and worried look in the usually warm brown eyes were underlining perfectly that her personal assistant honestly cared about her well-being.

"Rick, would you leave us alone, please? I think Natalia and I have to talk", the hotelier finally gave in.

"Sure."  
And with that the doctor left, hoping that the latina would keep her word 'cause he knew that Olivia would need all the support she could get for what was ahead of her.  
-

Natalia sat there, looking at the older woman expectantly, but Olivia didn't seem to be ready for a conversation yet, so she just waited.

For a while they sat there in silence, the hotelier obviously watching the birds, which where sailing through the air and the latina got even more scared, but she still didn't say a word 'cause she knew that pushing Olivia would lead nowhere.

"I have cancer."

Three words cut through the room and the latina held her breath 'cause she hadn't expected that.  
Not at all.  
"I have breast cancer. I've been diagnosed some weeks ago and I started chemo a few days ago. Rick thinks I broke down 'cause of that 'cause I'm worn out and all the extra work and..."  
Olivia felt so helpless, didn't dare to go on talking.  
Natalia would run for the hills, definitely.

But instead the latina grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight, "I'm so sorry, Olivia. Why didn't you say anything? I would have helped you..."

"I...I don't know. I'm used to be on my own, you know..."  
And in that moment the older woman realized that she owed Natalia the truth. The whole truth.

Taking a deep breath Olivia began to reveal the secrets of her past, "My mother was a very religious person and when I was sixteen I sneaked out to attend a ball on the island where I was born. Well, lets say things went out of control and when I came back my mother freaked out. She yelled at me for a long time and I had a hard time afterwards. But when I found out that I was pregnant she threw me out, told me to never come back. I spent all my money on a ticket to Chicago 'cause that was the only one I could afford...and then...I lost the baby. I was heartbroken and relieved at the same time, you know. I mean I had no money at all. How was I supposed to raise a child? I did countless jobs the next few years to surive and one day I found a job at a bar and the owner was a very nice old man, who offered me a room in his house, for which I didn't have to pay. It's been a good time 'cause he and his wife have always treated me right. I've worked there for some years and then, one night Philipp Spaulding entered the bar. He had a very charming way and I enjoyed that he was paying me some much attention and well...we had sex that night. And a few weeks later I found out that I was pregnant...again."

"I take it he wasn't too happy about it?" Natalia asked carefully, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh, he was overjoyed when I told him. And then he told me about the trust fund he would get access to once he got married and he offered me a deal. He offered me ten million dollars for becoming his wife. Since I still wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the baby, simply 'cause I was too traumatized 'cause of the loss of my first baby, he said he would keep and take care of the baby once we would get divorced. And I agreed. I signed all the papers before Emma was born and I regretted it ever since.  
'Cause I loved her from the moment I held her in my arms for the first time, but Philipp didn't care. I tried to talk to him countless times, but he just laughed at me and told me that without him I was nothing and his behavior towards me got worse with every month that went by. And after a few years he told me that it was time for me to leave. I never wanted to, but he hit me twice and once I had to go to hospital for some days. That was when his father showed up and Alan made clear that he would make my life a living hell if I wouldn't go. I was too scared of the Spauldings to fight, so I took the money and left, knowing that I would never forgive myself."

"Olivia...I...I can't believe that Philipp did that to you. I always heard how caring he was when it came to Emma. How much he loved her. I would have never..."

"Natalia, he did love her. Always. That's why I left. 'Cause I knew she would be alright, that he would take care of her. That was the only thing I was sure about and that made it "possible" for me to let go, no matter how much it hurt me. I thought Emma would be fine...and then you showed up. I had heard that Philipp had lost his money, but that he was still doing the best for Emma, so I never said anything to Doris. You have to understand that, when I came to Springfield, I had to start over new. Sure, I had a lot of money, but besides that I was all alone. I bought the ruins of The Beacon, which had been destroyed by fire and rebuilt it out of the ashes. It rose like a phoenix and I did too. And then I fell in love with Doris, which had been hard for me to accept, but in the end I found my happiness with her. Or at least that's what I thought. She has changed so much since she is into politics. Nothing seems to matter anymore. All she is longing for is more power and I...well, I'm my unhappy self again. But worse than being alone again is that I have cancer, that I might die. Seems like my mother has been right all the time and God is punishing me for everything I have done wrong now."  
Tears were running down Olivia's face, but for once she didn't care if somebody saw it.  
Plus Natalia was the only friend she had, so the latina deserved her trust, didn't she?

She had listened to the whole story carefully and Natalia couldn't believe how much the older woman must have been suffering over the years. How much pain the people, who were supposed to love her, must have caused her.  
Pulling Olivia into her arms again, letting her cry, Natalia found the courage to speak, "First of all you are not dying. I won't let you, understand? To hell with Doris. I'll help you and we'll kick that stupid cancer in the ass, okay? You are not giving up 'cause I won't either. Promise me that you will fight, Olivia and I'm all in. You have my word."

"What about your family, Natalia? I don't think Frank will be happy if you..."

The latina silenced her by putting her index finger on the hotelier's lips, "Now listen to me. You are sick and you need help. I won't leave you to yourself if you like it or not. You are not alone this time. I'll find a solution, which will be okay for all of us, I promise."

Natalia sounded so convincing, sincere, that all Olivia could do was nod, feeling glad to have the latina by her side.  
And although Natalia was relieved that she had made her point clear to the older woman, she was well aware that her friendship with Olivia would probably cost her own happiness with Frank.


	17. Chapter 17

**NEVER FORGET**  
**Chapter 17**

Natalia hadn't wanted to leave Olivia alone, but she had to go back to the farmhouse.  
She had to talk to Frank and she had to figure out a solution for the whole situation, which would become even more difficult now.

She had promised to the older woman that she would be back in the morning to check on her 'cause Dr. Rick had told Olivia that there was no way, under no circumstances, for her to get out of the hospital that day.  
The hotelier hadn't been amused about that decision, but she obviously had been aware that arguing would be pointless, so she had growled and "accepted".

Olivia could be a total grouch, definitely.

At the tought Natalia had to chuckle, but then she got all sad again.  
Olivia had cancer.

And it would be a long and hard road to recovery, if ever.  
It wasn't fair.  
The older woman clearly hadn't been very lucky in her life and now she had gotten sick.  
Olivia would have to fight again.  
Maybe harder than ever.

Natalia knew that it wouldn't be easy, but she wouldn't leave the hotelier's side.  
If only Frank would understand.

And to her very surprise he actually did.

When she had entered the farmhouse he had been sitting in the living room with Emma, who wore a silver necklace with a heart round her neck.  
Olivia's.  
It had to be Olivia's present.

'Cause Natalia hadn't bought it and Frank hadn't either, she was sure about that 'cause she knew what he had gotten for the little girl.

Natalia was about to cry and Frank had looked at her, his eyes filled with worry and they had went to the kitchen to talk about "grown up stuff" for a while.  
Emma had been perfectly fine with it since she had so many new things to check on that she would be busy till the evening anyway.

Frank had known from the beginning that it had to be serious, he could tell by the expression on his girlfriend's face.

And so Natalia had found the courage to tell him the whole story about Olivia and Emma.  
And the cancer.

She didn't explain everything to him in detail, but that wasn't necessary anyway.  
Even Frank was shocked that Doris Wolfe cared more about her carreer than her wife's well-being and although he hadn't been happy with Natalia promising Olivia her full support without talking to him, he had offered to help where he could.  
Simply 'cause his mother had died from cancer too and on the other hand he loved Natalia for her good heart, so what did he expect?

That she would leave Olivia on her own? Never.  
That wasn't Natalia.

So he gave in, knowing that it was his only option to keep his family together.  
Olivia would always be his "enemy" 'cause it would be so easy to lose Emma to her, but Natalia seemed to trust her, so he had to trust his soon-to-be wife's judgement.

Otherwise he would have to pick a fight again and he was tired of all the arguing 'cause it wouldn' lead anywhere.  
It just would destroy the life he was dreaming of.  
The life he wanted to have with Natalia and Emma.  
-

The next few weeks Natalia spent more time with Olivia than with anybody else.

Frank was taking care of Emma as he had promised, but the latina missed spending time with her little family.  
But she had a lot of meetings to run since Olivia had gotten weaker with every day, with every injection and with all the puking that had come with the chemo therapy she hadn't been able to attend the meetings herself anymore.

And although the hotelier tried to be brave and strong, Natalia knew that it was just the mask Olivia was showing to the world 'cause the truth was that the older woman was scared to death and at times even too tired to fight.

Taking Olivia to the hospital, watching her getting pale, losing weight and weak, so unbelievably weak, was draining Natalia as well.  
She was worried sick, but somehow she managed to sound positive and motivating whenever the older woman was near, even when she felt like falling apart.

Somehow being there for Olivia brought out the best of her, all her strong skills and talents like running staff meetings.  
Natalia would have never imagined that she would be got at that, but she was.

But that day nothing was okay.  
Greg told her that Olivia had locked herself in her suite and refused to see anybody, which caused the latina to be highly alarmed.  
Something had to be wrong.  
And when Olivia had told her on the phone that she didn't want to see her either Natalia knew she had to get into that suite right the next second.

So she had told the technics guy to unlock that door for her, not caring if the hotelier would kill her or not.  
Olivia clearly wasn't okay and she wouldn't let the older woman push her away.  
-

A few minutes later Natalia stormed into the suite, expecting the worst and found an obviously devastated Olivia Wolfe sitting on her huge kingsize bed, staring at her hand, which was holding a strain of hair.

Without hestitation the latina went over and pulled the older woman into her arms, rubbing circles over the hotelier's back to calm her down, "It's okay, Olivia. We knew that would happen. It doesn't matter. It's okay."

It took a while till Olivia finally looked at her, tears welling in those sad green eyes, "I think...maybe we should...I mean...cut it off. My hair. All of it."

Natalia's heart was breaking at the older woman's word, but she knew that Olivia was right, that they couldn't avoid it.

"Do you want me to make an appointment with your hairdresser?" the latina asked carefully, but the hotelier shook her head 'NO' and looked straight into her eyes, "Natalia, I want you to do it."


	18. Chapter 18

NEVER FORGET  
Chapter 18

She had cut Olivia's hair off in the end, her hands shaking, tears running down her face.  
Natalia hadn't dared to say 'NO', but it had been so hard for her to watch how the hotelier's face had fallen with every strand of hair that had hit the floor.

Seeing the bald head after shaving it blank, meeting the sadness, which had shone in the usually powerful green eyes, had been unbearable.

Natalia had sat on the bed, right next to Olivia, who had wrapped herself in the blankets, holding onto them as if her life was depending on it, whispering soothing words so the hotelier would calm down and fall asleep.

And once the older woman had drifted off to dreamland the latina hadn't dared to move because she hadn't wanted to risk waking Olivia again.  
So she had sat there for a while longer, studying the hotelier's face closely and after a while Natalia hadn't been able to resist anymore and she had started to stroke over the bare skin of Olivia's head carefully.

She had felt the urge to do it since she had started to cut off the older woman's hair, had wanted to pull her into her arms to reassure Olivia that she wasn't alone, that they would get through everything together, but she hadn't been sure if the hotelier would have appreciated the gesture.

It had took Natalia forever to finally leave and go home to her own family because somehow Olivia Spencer had become such a big part of her life over the last few weeks that it felt weird to leave the older woman's side and go "home".

Sure, there were Emma and Frank and there was the farmhouse the latina loved so much, but still.  
Without Olivia everything seemed to be colorless.

When Natalia had reached the farmhouse there hadn't been light anymore.  
Of course not.  
It was past midnight, which meant that Frank and Emma would be sound asleep.

Another dinner she had missed, another day she hadn't been able to spend with her family.  
The family she had wanted more than anything.

Now the latina was sitting on the couch in the living room, staring into the darkness, thinking about her life and the decisions she had made.

She didn't regret spending that much time with Olivia, not at all.  
Because the truth was that Natalia had never enjoyed someone's company as much in her entire life and the hotelier clearly needed her support.

But what the latina did regret was the fact that she wasn't able to be there for Emma.  
And the little girl clearly deserved better than that.

Natalia knew that she had to find a solution for that problem and she also wanted to spend some time with Frank, which seemed to be impossible at the moment.  
If only the days would have more than 24 hours.

The next few days hadn't been very eventful.  
Natalia had been covered with work because Olivia had refused to leave her suite, simply because she wasn't willing to show herself to the world bald headed.

First the latina had thought the older woman would get used to it and come around, but when nothing had happened Natalia had bought her a colored, silk bandana, which was ornamented with beautiful flowers.

And then she had practically dragged Olivia out of The Beacon to go for a walk in the park.

They were sitting on a bench, watching the ducks in the pond, enjoying the fresh air and the warmth of the sun, when Olivia, all of a sudden, grabbed the latina's hands, looking Natalia straight in the eyes, "Thank you."

"There's really no need to thank me."

"Oh, believe me - there is. Natalia, what you do for me...I'll never find the words to describe how much your support means to me...I..."  
It was obvious that the hotelier had wanted to say more, but had stopped herself right in time.

"Listen, Olivia. I have to admit...when we first met I wanted to punch you in the face, but the more I got to know you...well, I realized that you are an incredibly strong woman. And I enjoy spending time with you. I really do. You became much more than my boss...you became a real friend and I would do anything to help you", Natalia countered and gave the older woman one of her full dimpled smiles before she continued, "You are having a very hard time, Olivia. But everything will be okay, you'll see. You just have to keep fighting. Please don't give up on yourself."

Olivia sat there, deep in thought, but still holding one of the latina's hands and to her own surprise Natalia enjoyed the feeling of their touching skin.  
It felt so familiar and right that she didn't question it or give it a second thought.

They had sat there in silence for a while, never losing the contact of their hands until a little girl had stormed into their direction and Olivia had went even more pale than she already was.

Emma.

But the little girl was so excited to see Natalia that she didn't even look at the woman, who was sitting right next to the latina.

And while Natalia seemed to be confused about the unexpected appearence of Emma, who happened to be in the park with the rest of her class and teacher Mrs. Jennings, Olivia clearly was in shock.

All the time she had practically "black mailed" Natalia to make sure that Emma wouldn't cross her path and now the little girl had shown up, completely out of the blue, by "accident" nonetheless.

The hotelier just hoped that Emma wouldn't recognize her, especially not now when she had to face bigger demons.  
Maybe she would be able to get over herself one day, would be able to forgive herself and learn how to deal with her own guilt.  
Maybe.

But definitely not now.

Natalia must have sensed that Olivia had been close to collapsing because she had grabbed the little girl's hand and had walked her back to the rest of her class, explaining to Emma that she was busy now, but promised to be home earlier that night.

And Olivia hadn't been able to look away.  
Her eyes had followed them step for step, making her realize that she had something in her life that was indeed worth fighting for.

On the one hand there was her little daughter Emma, who wasn't all so little anymore, who had a right to know the truth and on the other hand there was a certain latina, who had been a complete stranger to her when she had stormed into Olivia's office and life some months ago, but had become one of her closest friends.  
Someone the hotelier trusted and deeply respected.

Although Olivia would never admit it, Natalia Rivera was the first person, who was able to read her like an open book and she still didn't get how the latina did it, especially because she was able to hide her feelings from everybody.  
From everybody, but Natalia.

When the latina had returned without Emma Olivia had been relieved and sad at the same time.  
Of course she would have loved to watch the little girl for some time, but she couldn't risk it.

Natalia had pulled her into a hug without a word and the older woman had melted into the embrace naturally, taking in the latina's scent, enjoying the warmth of Natalia's body and for one moment Olivia Spencer didn't feel sick.  
For this one moment she felt at peace, felt safe.  
And in this particular moment the rest of the world didn't exist.

On their way back to The Beacon they had decided to have an early dinner together in Olivia's suite because the hotelier wanted Natalia to keep the promise she had given to Emma and go home earlier for once.

Olivia hated the thought of the latina not being around, but Emma deserved some time with Natalia.  
Plus the latina had put the hotelier first for weeks now, so she deserved some time off, some quality time with her family as well.

And it was just one evening.  
She would find something to distract herself from being alone - she was a grown woman for Heaven's sake.

But when Olivia unlocked the door to her suite she froze.

There she stood.  
Doris Wolfe.  
Her wife.

Natalia didn't seem to be happy either once she caught sight of the mayor, but she tried to smile anyway.

"Hello darling. I'm back", Doris stated immediately, wearing the black, red and white jacket Olivia hated so much, and walked over to shake the latina's hand.

"Thank you for everything you have done for my wife, Miss Rivera. I know how difficult Olivia can be, especially when she is sick. So I guess you will be overjoyed to hear that your presence is no longer required."


	19. Chapter 19

NEVER FORGET  
Chapter 19

Natalia simply was thunderstruck.

Too perplexed to say anything she just nodded, turned to look at Olivia, mumbled a "Good bye, Mrs. Wolfe. I'll come by to talk about the menu for next week and my schedule tomorrow."

Not able to look at the mayor or say something to her the latina headed out of the suite, her thoughts one big jumble.

Olivia wanted to yell at her wife for treating Natalia like that, but she wasn't capable of raising her voice against Doris because the walk to the park had worn her out.  
She felt weak, numb even, so the hotelier took a seat on her bed and tried to breathe in deeply.

She should be happy that her wife was back, but actually she just felt sad that Natalia had left.

After a while of drowning in self-pity Olivia decided to talk to the latina the next day because for her it was no option to don't see Natalia anymore except for work.  
She needed to have her around when she wanted to recover - that Olivia was sure about.

Natalia had been crying to whole drive back to the farmhouse and she hadn't even known why.  
But it had felt so wrong to leave Olivia in her suite like that.

And as much as she looked forward to spend time with Emma and Frank, Natalia couldn't deal with the fact that her time with Olivia was kind of over.  
At least when it came to them spending time together away from work.

In her opinion Doris Wolfe could have stayed away because the hotelier clearly was better off without her.  
But who was she to judge?

Why did it bother her so much that Doris would take care of Olivia now instead of her?

Olivia had spent the evening watching TV because Doris had been on the phone most of the time, but when she was honest she wasn't unhappy about that.  
She had thought about texting Natalia countless times, but then she had turned the stupid phone off in a rush.  
Why would she text her?

Frank and Emma had talked Natalia into having a movie night, but the latina hadn't been able to concentrate for a minute, so she had missed the whole film.

She had taken a glimpse on her mobile phone every now and then in the hope that Olivia would send her a message, but none came.  
And why on earth would she text her when her wife just had come back?

The next few days Natalia and Olivia didn't get a chance to talk much.  
Of course they spoke to each other a few times, but it was mostly work related and the latina started to feel weird.

She was worried about the hotelier's well being because Olivia seemed to be even more pale than usual, but everytime she had tried to talk to her Doris had been near, so their conversation had been cut off again and again.

Natalia hated that there was nothing she could have done right then, but she realized that she had to do something.  
Staying away from Olivia was no option for her.  
It never would be.

And if she had to fight Doris Wolfe, mayor of Springfield, in order to get her friend back.

Another few days went by and Natalia still couldn't come up with a real plan, which had her even more frustrated.

She had spent a nice evening with Frank since Emma had been on a sleepover at Jody's, but all Natalia had been able to think about had been Olivia.

Now that her and Frank were in town to do the groceries shopping for the weekend the latina was tempted to pay the hotelier a short visit, but how would she explain that to her boyfriend?

"Now that's really disgusting..."  
Frank's announcement had Natalia out of her thoughts immediately and she headed over to see what he was staring at, but the second she saw it the latina's heart skipped at least one beat.

On the first page of the newspaper he was holding in his hands was a picture of Doris kissing another woman.  
'The mayor and the PR genius' was written about in big black letters.

Natalia ripped the paper out of Frank's hands, taking a closer look.

'Mayer Doris Wolfe has been caught kissing her PR agent on her election tour. Insiders say that the two women are having a hot affair since weeks. How awful must wife, Olivia Wolfe, who is currently fighting against breast cancer feel?'

The latina felt how her hands started trembling, felt how the anger made its way up her chest, "That bitch! That's why she is back already! I knew it! She didn't come back for Olivia, but because of a bad conscience!"

"Natalia? What are you talking about?"  
Frank looked at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry. I have to go. Please pick up Emma. I'll be home as soon as I can..."  
That said Natalia stormed out of the store, leaving the detective behind without thinking about it twice.

"Get the hell out of my suite! I'm trying to survive here and you have nothing better to do than screwing that bitch?! We're done, Doris! You hear me?!"  
Olivia was yelling at her wife with the little strength she had left.

"Oh come on, calm down, would you? It was just sex", Doris stated simply.

"Really? You know what? Now you can have as much sex with her and God know's whom else as you want because I'm getting a divorce! Is that clear?!"

"Olivia, don't be ridiculous. The election is in a few weeks. Nobody is getting divorced here", the mayor responded, trying to stay calm.  
That stupid reporter, who had taken that picture, could ruin her whole carreer. He clearly would pay for that, but first she had to wrap Olivia round her little finger.

"Try me", the hotelier growled, grabbed the horrid jacket, which was lying on the table and ripped it in two.  
She had hated it since Doris had bought it - that ugly black, white and red thing, which made the mayor look like a clown on vacation.

"That was my favorite jacket!"  
Now Doris was getting hysterical.

"Proves what great taste you have", Olivia countered, "And now get out!"

When Natalia arrived at The Beacon she just saw the ambulance disappear round the corner.  
Olivia.

Jumping into the next available cab she made it to the hospital in no time, but once she arrived there she was greeted by nobody else, but Doris Wolfe.

"Miss Rivera! What a surprise. What are you doing here?"

But instead of answering Natalia slapped her right in the face, "I'm here to take care of Olivia because she is my friend. And you better be gone when I'm back from talking to the doctor. Good bye, Mayor Wolfe."

This time it was Doris, who was too perplexed to say anything and when she recognized the reporters outside the hospital she decided it might be smarter to leave now instead of causing a scene.  
Olivia would calm down and everything would go on as usual.

Natalia had been told that Olivia had broken down out of exhaustion.  
The hotelier's body simply was worn out from all the aggressive cancer treatment and she had been dehydrated, but besides that she was "okay".

The latina had been so relieved and once she had been allowed to see Olivia she had been a lot better and at the same time she was highly alarmed.  
Somebody had to take care of the hotelier because Olivia clearly couldn't stay on her own.

And so Natalia had dropped the idea of Olivia moving in with her, but the hotelier had declinded the same second, simply because she didn't want Emma to see her, especially not like that.  
But then the latina had told her that the little girl couldn't even remember how her mother looked like because Philipp had taken all the picture from Olivia away.  
At least she got the hotelier to think about it although Natalia knew that Olivia Spencer would never agree.  
And Frank even less.

She would figure something out anyway.

Natalia had spent the next two days in the hospital mostly because Olivia wasn't feeling well and Doris hadn't shown up again.  
The hotelier hadn't said one word about her cheating wife, but the latina could see that the older woman had a hard time dealing with it.

That evening, while Emma and Frank were playing cards in the living room, Natalia stood in the kitchen, preparing dinner, when somebody knocked on the back door all of a sudden.

When the latina opened she froze.  
Olivia was standing there, shaking like a leaf and she obviously had been crying heavily.  
But before Natalia could have said something the hotelier did.

"Does your offer with the farmhouse still stand? 'Cause I can't be on my own right now. The doctors ran a lot of tests the last days and...and they say that...that I...that it would be better to amputate my breasts."


	20. Chapter 20

**NEVER FORGET**  
**Chapter 20.1**

Natalia was just standing there, staring at the obviously very upset hotelier and didn't know what to say or do at first.

But then her brain kicked in and she pulled Olivia into her arms, running her fingers over the older woman's bald head softly, hoping that the simple gesture would calm Olivia down and that it would reassure her once more that she wasn't alone.

They stood like that for a while, the hotelier's head burrowed in the crook of Natalia's neck and the latina could feel Olivia's tears running down her own skin.

Her heart was breaking because of everything the hotelier had to go through and it touched Natalia more than anything that Olivia had come to her, that she had trusted her enough to ask her for help and support.

Because when Natalia had learned one thing about Olivia Wolfe over the last few months, then it was that the hotelier was way too proud to ask for help or let anybody see her weak.  
But the older woman had always seemed comfortable in the latina's presence and Natalia was aware of the fact, that she had gotten a unique and special chance from Olivia.  
And she wouldn't waste it.

"You're freezing. Come inside and take a seat by the oven. I'll be right back and then we can talk, okay?" the latina commented, the tone in her voice so unbelievably warm and caring.

Olivia just nodded in response and did as she was told while Natalia closed the door and headed for the living room to explain the situation to Frank and Emma.

To her big surprise her boyfriend had understood and had offered to take the little girl to his apartment, to give her and Olivia some alone time, and Emma hadn't bothered either since Frank had promised to order her pizza.

And so Frank and Emma had left the farmhouse only a few minutes later to spend a night in the detective's apartment in town.

Natalia and Olivia had talked till dinner had been ready and the hotelier had explained the whole details about her further cancer treatment and her condition.

"I know it is a hard decision, Olivia, but you know...plastic surgeons can rebuild breasts easily these days. Sure, it's not the same, but the point is...you could get rid of that bitch of a cancer and there is no chance it can come back."

"Natalia, I know you are right. I really am. I also know it's my best chance for survival, but…"  
Olivia turned away out of shame, not able to face the latina any longer.

But Natalia reacted immediately and cupped the hotelier's cheek with her hand, made the older woman face her again, "Look at me, Olivia. Please talk to me. You can tell me anything."

For a moment neither of them spoke, but then Olivia gave in, "You know…people always thought I was beautiful. Nobody ever told me I was smart or talented or whatever. But I've always been beautiful. And that gave me some kind of power. I was able to wrap practically everybody round my little finger. My body always got me what I wanted. Not that I would be proud of what I've done or of that ability in general. Although, at times…"  
At that comment a small smile appeared on the older woman's face, but she got sad again only a second later, "My body is all people ever wanted. It's all I have. If I let them take my breasts…what else is there? Nobody will ever look at me again. My own wife is cheating on me while I have to fight for my life. But I can't even blame her. Look at me…I'm a mess, as ugly as my soul."

Olivia started to cry heavily, shielding her face with her shaking hands, sobbing so hard that she almost choked and Natalia's heart broke even more.  
She took the older woman's hands into her own without hesitation, which got her Olivia's immediate attention, and their eyes locked only a second later, "Now listen to me, Olivia. Doris doesn't deserve you. She'll regret what she has done terribly one day, you'll see. And you are better off without her anyway and you know it. You are the bravest and strongest person I have ever met and I'm so glad to have you in my life. And Olivia…you couldn't be more wrong because you are still beautiful. At least to me. You may not see it right now, but you are a very beautiful woman and your soul isn't ugly at all. You may haven't always made the right decisions, but that doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you human."

They had sat on the couch in the living room for a long time that night, talking about their different lives and how everything obviously happened for a reason before Olivia had fallen asleep, her head resting in Natalia's lap.  
And since she hadn't dared to move because she hadn't wanted to wake the hotelier up, Natalia had fallen asleep on the couch as well.

When she had woken up in the morning, Olivia partially lying on top of her, the older woman's arm wrapped around her waist, sleeping peacefully, Natalia had been a bit surprised though.  
She hadn't felt uncomfortable, in fact it had felt completely natural and familiar, but the latina simply wasn't used to being so close to anybody other than a boyfriend.

But it had given her another opportunity to study Olivia's face closely and Natalia started to realize that she wouldn't mind to wake up like that every morning.

That realization though did confuse her.  
It confused her a lot.

Natalia had dropped Olivia off at the hospital for some more tests and Rick had promised to drive the hotelier back to the farmhouse afterwards by himself and the latina had told Olivia that she would go to The Beacon in the meantime to check if everything was alright and to pack some of the older woman's stuff and take it to her new home.

Since Greg had everything under control at the hotel she was done quickly and so Natalia decided that it was time to tell Frank about their new roommate.

The detective hadn't taken it very well.  
He had been furious and had told her that he had been understanding and supporting all the way, but that Natalia had taken it too far.  
That he would never, under no circumstances, share the house with the hotelier.  
And that she had to make a decision after all.  
If she wanted a family or if she would choose Olivia over her love for him.

For a moment Natalia had felt the urge to cry, but then she had put herself together, and had told Frank that the farmhouse was her house, that it was her decision, who would live there and if he would love her for who she was, he would come around because Olivia wasn't the enemy, but a friend in need.

The detective had tried to talk sense into her, that a cancer patient wasn't who should be around Emma, that the little girl could get traumatized, especially if she found out, who their new roommate was, but Natalia told him that she would deal with it when it would come up and that she had faith in Emma.

Frank had just shook his head and had told her that he would come by on the weekend to pick up his stuff and although she had hoped for a different reaction, Natalia accepted it without blinking.  
She had made up her mind about all this before she had talked to her boyfriend and she had known that her decision was a high risk for her relationship, but she had been willing to take it from the begin with.  
For Olivia.

Emma had overheard their conversation though and had been crying over the "loss" of Frank during the whole drive back to the farmhouse.  
The little girl simply couldn't understand why Natalia had chosen to live there with somebody else than Frank, who had been so good to them.

Seeing Emma so sad made Natalia realize for the first time that she had been too egoistic, that she should have handled the whole situation differently.  
That she should have taken the time to talk to the little girl about what was going on a lot earlier because it concerned all of them.

She had pulled Emma into her arms once they had gotten out of the car and had promised her that everything would be okay.  
That there was something they had to discuss because some things were about to change.

And so Natalia had made them some hot chocolate once they were in the kitchen and then she sat down right next to the little girl to explain to Emma what was going on, "I know you are very upset right now, sweetie. And I'm sorry for putting you through all of this. You know that I'm working at the hotel, right?"

Emma nodded.

"Good. So, my boss, well, she is my friend too. A close friend. Almost like a best friend, you understand?"

Another nod from the little girl.

"Well, my friend is very sick right now. She has to have surgery soon and she gets strong pills. That's why she can't live alone at the moment. She needs somebody to take care of her for a while. And that's why I thought she could live with us during this time. Would that be okay with you, Emma?"

"I guess. But why is Frank so mad?" Emma looked at her expectantly.

"Honey, it's not that easy. Frank is upset right now because he doesn't want to share his family with a stranger. And he is afraid you get scared because my friend is sick", Natalia answered honestly.

"But that's stupid. Frank is a part of our family. He always will be, right, Natalia?"

"Emma, I don't know. I can't promise you that. But I definitely hope so because I don't want to lose Frank either", the latina responded.

"Okay. But I get that your friend needs help. She has cancer, hasn't she?"

Natalia was startled. How did Emma know that?  
They had never mentioned anything in her presence.  
"Uhm…yes. My friend has cancer. But how did you know?"

The little girl gave her a sad smile, "Jody's aunt has cancer too. And she told me about everything that was going on in her family. And it's pretty much the same with us. You have been gone all the time and now your friend moves in. Jody's aunt lives with them too now. Just her dad didn't leave because of that."

"I'm so sorry, Em. I never meant…"  
Natalia pulled the little girl onto her lap and into her arms again.

"It's okay. It's important that your friend gets better soon. "

At that comment they both smiled at each other and the latina was so relieved that Emma seemed to understand.  
Obviously the smart little girl understood even better than Frank.

Natalia had also explained to Emma that the little girl should take it easy on her friend, once she would arrive at the farmhouse later that day because she would be exhausted from all the tests at the hospital and Emma had told her that she completely understood that.  
That little girl truly was full of surprises.  
Just like her mother.

When Emma was about to head to the living room to watch cartoons and Natalia was about to start preparing dinner, the little girl turned round all of a sudden, catching the latina completely off guard.

"Natalia?"

"Hm? What is it, sweetie?"

"What's your friend's name?"  
Emma stood there and watched her curiously.

Natalia had been nowhere near prepared for that question and she surely had no idea how to answer it, so she just said, "Why don't you ask my friend that herself once she is here?"  
She definitely would have to talk to Olivia before Emma would get a chance to lay eyes on their guest although she was pretty sure the little girl wouldn't recognize that it was her mother.

"Okay", was all the little girl responded before she bounced out of the kitchen, but Natalia still was close to getting a heart attack.  
She clearly would never underestimate Emma because then the "battle" would be lost from the begin with.  
Olivia's daughter simply was too clever.

When Rick and Olivia arrived at the farmhouse about two hours later Emma was up in her room, doing her homework, so the doctor was able to instruct Natalia about everything. What she had to take care of, what she should look out for, which pills the hotelier had to take when and how many of them.  
The latina had invited him to stay for dinner, but Dr. Rick had been in a hurry and needed to go back to the hospital because another surgery was waiting for him, so he left only a few minutes later.

That left Natalia and Olivia alone in the kitchen and for a moment they were so caught up in each other's presence, smiling at each other, that they didn't realize that Emma was on her way down the stairs.

"I'm glad you're here", the latina stated after a while.

"Thanks for having me", the hotelier countered.

"Natalia, I'm done with my homework", Emma announced out of the blue, standing in the doorframe, watching both women happily.

"That's great, honey. Dinner is ready in about five minutes", Natalia answered quickly, hoping the little girl would leave for the living room so she could talk to Olivia about what they would tell her about who the hotelier was, but the little girl didn't even blink. Nor move.

"Emma, this is our guest", the latina continued hesitantly and the little girl nodded with a smile, "It's good to see you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Hello Emma. I've heard a lot about you too", Olivia managed to say, her voice shaking.

And all of a sudden the little girl's eyes went wide, she looked hectically from Natalia to Olivia and back, obviously waiting for something, but neither of them dared to say a word.

When the silence became unbearable the hotelier cleared her throat to speak again, "Natalia, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Emma doesn't seem to be too happy with…"

But before Olivia would have been able to say another word, Emma, who had listened to everything more than just carefully, stormed into the kitchen, wrapping her arms round the hotelier's waist tight, "Mommy! You're back..."


	21. Chapter 21

**NEVER FORGET**  
**Chapter 20.2**

Olivia stood there, stiff like she would be a statue, her brain not able to process the sudden rush of emotions, which had been caused by her daughter's words and reaction.

"Natalia, you brought her back. You brought my mommy back! I told you...I would always remember her voice…"  
The little girl was bouncing through the kitchen happily and the latina couldn't help, but smile.

The older woman still hadn't moved or said anything, which caused Natalia to worry, so she helped Olivia to sit down because she was afraid that the hotelier would collapse any second.

"Mommy, are you okay?"  
Emma was by Olivia's side in an instant, looking at her mother expectantly.

"I'm good, baby…I'm…it's just…I was so afraid you would be mad at me…" Olivia answered after a while, cupping her daughter's cheek with her right hand, trying to smile.

"I'm not mad. I never was. I'm just so happy that you are back…" the little girl commented immediately, "But I'm sad too…because you are so sick."

"I know, Emma. I know. I'm scared too. And it won't be easy, but I will try my best to be okay soon."

"You will get healthy again, right? Because you just came back…"  
The little girl practically jumped in her mother's lap, holding on tight, about to start crying.

"I won't leave again, baby. I promise. Natalia said there is no way that I give up", Olivia replied, stroking over Emma's head carefully.

"Natalia is the best!"  
Emma sounded so proud and so confident in that moment, that Olivia had to laugh out loud, "You're right, Emma. She sure is."  
And for a moment the older woman looked at the latina, who had watched the scene in silence, had shed a lone tear of utter happiness about Olivia's and Emma's reunion, just to whisper "Thank you" in Natalia's direction, who answered with a simple nod.

Natalia had sent Emma and Olivia to the living room to catch up in private while she was finishing dinner and she had to smile at the laughter she heard from there.

Now that she was in the kitchen by herself she felt so at ease with everything because it had been magic to watch Olivia's walls melt down within a second once Emma had broken the "spell".

The latina would never admit it, but deep down she had hoped and counted on Emma's words from back then, when she had visited the little girl at the orphanage and Emma had told her that she would always remember her mother's voice.  
She had prayed that it was true from the moment the hotelier had told her about her cancer diagnosis, knowing full – well, that it might be the only thing in the world, which could make Olivia fight for real.

"You knew it, didn't you?"

The hotelier's voice made Natalia jump because she had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized she wasn't alone anymore, "Huh?"

"You knew that Emma would realize it was me the second I would say a word. Don't even try to deny it, Natalia. You knew it..." Olivia repeated.

"Uhm…I…well, yes, I assumed. Actually I hoped that she would because…I meant well. I didn't mean to hurt anyone", the latina tried to defend herself and her actions.

"I know."  
Olivia's voice was so soft that it sent chills down the latina's spine.

The next thing Natalia realized was that the hotelier pulled her into her arms fiercely and put a heartfelt kiss on her cheek before she locked eyes with the latina, "Thank you, Natalia. For everything you've done for me. And Emma. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Too lost in the sensation of the simple kiss and the tingling spot on her cheek, where Olivia's lips had touched it only seconds ago, Natalia wasn't able to say a word, so she just nodded and smiled one of her dimpled smiles.

They had spent a great first evening together at the farmhouse, but Natalia had been lost in thought more than once.  
Being so close to Olivia made her feel strange – in a good way though.  
She loved having the older woman around, being able to look into those stunning green eyes whenever she wanted, but she didn't understand why she felt that way.

And how was it possible that she didn't miss Frank more?  
Shouldn't she be more sad about the fact that he had practically told her off just the other day?

She was about to go to bed when she bumped right into Olivia on her way upstairs and the latina was startled once again.

"I was looking for you", Olivia stated simply.

"Is something wrong?" the latina was worried immediately.

"No, not at all. Can we talk for a second?"

"Of course. Just come with me."

And so Natalia found herself sitting on her bed together with Olivia Wolfe only a few minutes later.  
And she had to admit that it felt good to have the older woman that close again.

"You know…Emma told me that it's been my voice and the way I looked at you when she had come bumping into the kitchen today, which had given my identity away. Can you believe that? She is so unbelievably smart", Olivia started the conversation.

"Like her mom."

The hotelier smiled at the latina's comment and continued, "I have an appointment with my lawyer on Monday because I want a divorce. So, I thought I could ask him what we can do so you can keep Emma, no matter what. And I'll take responsibility too because I'm her mother. But in case something happens to me I want you to raise her because you are an outstanding person. And I don't want her to be taken away again. She has lost enough people in her life. What do you think?"

"I…I don't know what to say. I mean…of course I'll take care of Emma, but I don't wanna think about you…" Natalia wasn't able to keep speaking.  
She couldn't imagine a life without Olivia in it anymore and the bare thought that the older woman could die scared her to death.

"I know, I know", the hotelier whispered and pulled the latina into a fierce hug.

"Promise me that you will fight with everything you have, Olivia", Natalia said with shaking voice, tears welling in her eyes, "Because I can't lose you. I don't know what I would do without you."

Looking into those warm brown eyes, which were filled with so much worry, Olivia had to take a deep breath, "I promise."  
And then the hotelier wiped the tears, which were running down the latina's cheek, away with her thumb carefully.

For a while they just looked at each other, trying to regain their strength and then Olivia broke the silence, "Why didn't you tell me that Frank wasn't okay with me moving in? I could hire a nurse and stay at The Beacon easily. It's no big deal. I don't want you to lose your boyfriend because I have cancer."

"No! I want you to stay. Olivia, you are my friend and this is my house. I decide whom I share my home with. If Frank can't accept that he isn't the right guy for me anyway", Natalia answered honestly.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."  
The latina's response had come without hesitation and she had sounded so convincing that Olivia's last doubt had been eliminated right that second.

Natalia hadn't been able to get much sleep that night.  
Whenever she had closed her eyes she had seen Olivia's face.  
Not that it would have bothered her, but she simply wasn't used to thinking about another woman that much.  
Well, not any woman.  
Olivia.

She could have sworn that she still could feel the hotelier's lips on her cheek.  
What was going on with her?  
And what should she do about Frank?

Natalia simply was confused by her own thoughts and feelings and she knew that she had to get herself together because Olivia's fight against the cancer would cost all of them enough.

Olivia, who was lying in a bed just two rooms away from Natalia's, wasn't able to sleep either.

Maybe Natalia wasn't aware of the situation yet, but the hotelier definitely was.  
But Olivia also knew that it was no option and it never would be.

Somehow she had to bring the latina and her boyfriend back together.  
That was the least she could do after all Natalia had done for her.  
And so she sent a text message to a certain friend before she finally drifted off to dreamland.  
Josh was the only person, except from Natalia, whom she trusted.  
And he would be thrilled to help her play Cupid.


	22. Chapter 22

**NEVER FORGET**

**Chapter 21**

When Natalia had left to do some Beacon – Business the next day, Olivia had commanded Josh to the farmhouse.

Since Emma was at school they would have time to talk everything through and come up with a plan.

With a plan to bring Natalia and Frank back together.

Once her handsome friend Josh Lewis, exhusband of Reva, had arrived Olivia felt better.

Because although she knew it would be hard for her to see Natalia with her boyfriend every day, she felt guilty that the latina had to sacrifice so much for being there for her.

And she wanted to do something for Natalia in return.

So she sat down with Josh in the living room and told him what was going on, hoping that he would buy it without asking questions or getting suspicious, but of course it wasn't that easy.

„First off all...congratulations on getting rid of Doris. Seems like you finally got a grip after all. But to the actual point of your rambling. Let me get this straight. You have fallen in love with Natalia Rivera? The woman, who brought back your daughter? And who stands by your side to fight the cancer? And because you care about her so much you want to set her up with her exboyfriend again? Now that's quite some story."

Josh shook his head in disbelief.

„I never said that I was in love with her. I just like her. Like her a lot, okay?" Olivia tried to defend herself, but even to herself it sounded lame.

„No need to say it, Olivia. It's more than obvious. And it's not so surprising either after what she has..."

„See! That's it. It's not because of what she has done for me that I feel drawn to her. But Natalia is unbelievable. I've been the biggest bitch and she always stood her ground, battled me. She never stepped back from an argument. She told me off, she challenged me. Well, she still does. And she is the kindest person I've ever seen. The way she is with Emma. God, you should see them together. And she is beautiful, so beautiful. And decent. No matter how bad I feel...one look from her and the world is good again. Those warm brown eyes...one could drown in them", Olivia's thoughts drifted off immediately.

„Oh wow. This is a lot more serious than I thought", Josh couldn't stop himself from laughing.

He hadn't seen Olivia that dreamingly in forever, but he liked it. And then he got serious himself, „So, you really want to do this? Bringing them back together I mean..."

„Josh, she deserves to be happy. And she loves that guy. Whether I like it or not. I don't want to ruin her future. Not Natalia's. She has given me so much, it's about time I give her something back in return. But I can't do it alone...my condition...well, you see it yourself. I'm too weak to leave the house on my own. So, the question is...are you in?"

He thought about it for a while, watching Olivia closely, „Maybe."

„Maybe? What's that supposed to mean?"

The hotelier was confused because from the expression on Josh' face she could tell that he was up to something and she wasn't sure yet if that was a good or a bad thing.

She hadn't been able to get rid of Josh till Natalia and Emma had returned from town and Olivia had shot him a death glare when he had offered the latina to help her with dinner.

And since Emma had wanted to spend time with her mommy, Olivia hadn't been able to go with them.

She had tried to overhear the ongoing conversation in the kitchen, but Emma had made that impossible by squealing and bouncing around and after a while Olivia had given up and had watched her daughter, who seemed to be the happiest girl in the world.

Dinner had been surprisingly funny.

Josh had entertained them with some embarrasing stories about Olivia's start as a hotelier and Natalia had laughed a lot.

It was so good to see the latina happy and so it hadn't bothered Olivia that Josh had come up with all that crappy stuff.

In the end they all had a good time and Olivia was calmed down a little.

Obviously Josh hadn't sait a word to Natalia, at least not about the whole feelings dilemma.

Now that she was sitting on the couch again, resting, while Natalia was doing the dishes and her daughter was upstairs to get ready for bed, Olivia hoped that her friend would agree to help her now when he came to say 'Good night'.

„It's been good to see you, Liv. Take care of yourself and if you need anything...just call. I'll check on you somewhen next week", he announced and kissed her on the forehead.

„Yeah. Are you helping me now or what?" the hotelier had to be careful not to snap.

„No."

Josh' answer had come without hestiation and he seemed to be very serious.

„No?!"

Olivia glared at him in disbelief.

„Listen to me closely now, Liv, because I just say this once. You can't force love and you can't make people stay together if it doesn't fit. Love is something you can't buy and it's not something you can have just because you want it. So, the answer is 'No'. I know you mean it well, but Natalia can make her own decisions. Trust me, it's better this way. Don't try to do anything about any of this...things will work out without help in time. Maybe not the way you wanted them to, but they will work out. Have faith."

And with that Josh Lewis headed out of the farmhouse, leaving a completely confused Olivia behind.

What had he meant?

On the weekend Frank had picked up his stuff and Olivia had to admit that Natalia hadn't seemed too sad about it.

The latina and the detective had barely spoken a word, but Emma had made him promise that he would pick her up to eat ice cream soon.

But Frank clearly hadn't it taken well that Emma was about the moon to have her mother back. Olivia could sense that it had nothing to do with her person, but with the fact that he cared for her daughter and she knew about Natalia and his plans to adopt her.

And now Emma never would be his.

That was why she had agreed that he could indeed pick up Emma the next week and spend an afternoon with her, simply because Frank Cooper had become a part of her daugher's life and she wouldn't take that away from her.

She had filled out all the papers she needed for the divorce from Doris, her upcoming surgery, some stuff for The Beacon and all the files her lawyer had given her to get Emma back on the weekend as well. And to give Natalia parental responsibility for Emma.

Just in case.

The next few days had been uneventful, but Olivia enjoyed her „family" time with Natalia and Emma more than anything.

It was so good to have her daughter and the latina around and she caught herself wishing that this would be her familyfor real more than once.

When Emma came home from school this afternoon things became more difficult though.

The little girl had stormed inside teary eyed and had hugged Olivia so tight, that the hotelier had trouble to breathe.

Olivia had been highly alarmed and once the little girl had calmed down she had told her mother that her friend Jody's aunt had died the night before.

The aunt, who had cancer as well.

„Please don't leave, mommy. Don't die. I just got you back..."

Emma had repeated that sentence, crying, over and over again and Olivia hadn't known what to do, so she had called Natalia to come home immediately.

The Beacon could wait.

When Natalia entered the farmhouse Emma still was upset and it broke her heart to see the little girl like that.

And the scared expression in Olivia's eyes broke her heart even more.

She hurried into the kitchen to make them some hot chocolate and a few minutes later they sat together on the living room couch, everyone a mug in hand and lost in thoughts.

After a while Natalia took Emma's hands in hers, cleared her throat, hoping she would find the right words to take the little girl's biggest fears away. At least for a while.

„Listen, Emma. I know you are scared. That's okay. Because your mommy and I are scared too. But we are a family and a family sticks together, no matter what. I'm so sorry about Jody's aunt, but not every cancer patient dies, okay? And your mommy is strong and is fighting really hard. I know she can do this and we have to help her as good as we can. We'll get through this. Together. As a family."

„Promise?" the littel girl looked at her expectantly.

„Promise."

Natalia closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that she hadn't promised too much.

Olivia sat there and couldn't move.

The latina had really said they were a family.

And she was so unbelievably happy that she wanted to hug the whole world.

Emma had stormed into her room to do her homework after Natalia's little speech, obviously feeling better, so now it was just her and the latina.

But when Olivia noticed that Natalia wasn't able to look at her she realized something had to be terribly wrong.

Maybe the latina regretted what she had just said a minute ago?

When Natalia started to cry heavily, Olivia simply pulled her into her arms although she didn't understand what was going on.

She was confused and worried, but the latina clearly wasn't able to talk right that second.

Natalia hid her face in Olivia's neck, holding the older woman close and couldn't stop crying.

The whole situation was wearing her out and she was scared to death that something could happen to Olivia.

She had to be the strong one right now, she had to be strong for all of them, but when she had heard that Jody's aunt had died, all her motivation and optimism had went straight out of the window.

Natalia had gotten hit by reality and the truth was that Olivia probably wouldn't survive.

The bare thought was more than she could handle because to her Olivia indeed was family.

„I don't know what's wrong. Have I done something... I mean..." the hotelier couldn't stay silent anymore and Natalia shot up in an instant.

„No! God, no...you have done nothing 's just..." she locked eyes with the older woman, „Please don't die on me, Olivia!"

For a moment the hotelier had seen the pure desperation and fear in the latina's eyes and she realized that Natalia must have meant what she had sad.

And that Olivia being family to her made the situation so hard for her, almost unbearable.

She pulled Natalia into her arms even more, holding her tight, stroking over the latina's had softly, sorry for causing the woman she had grown feelings for so much pain.


End file.
